Basque Research studies effects of short, fast, cryogenic cycles on steel
March 20, 2014
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Basque Research, Spain, has been developing cryogenic treatments for steel in a program that has the goal of understanding both the microstructural changes and the mechanisms that cause them when steel is cooled to cryogenic temperatures below −153°C. One process currently being explored is a multi-phase cryogenic treatment based on the repetition of short, fast, cryogenic cycles.
It allows processing time to be considerably reduced, which enables energy consumption and costs to be cut. The results achieved with this type of process are said to be better than those achieved by conventional cryogenic treatments. Researchers are also exploring the application of cryogenic treatment between hardening and tempering.
Conventional cryogenic treatment consists of slowly cooling the material to about −180 ºC, keeping it at that temperature for a long period of time, and then reheating it to ambient temperature. The fact that it takes so long is a clear problem.
http://www.basqueresearch.com
Basque Research, Spain, has been developing cryogenic treatments for steel in a program based on the repetition of short, fast, cryogenic cycles.
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NACE International’s Innovation of the Year Award
March 14, 2014
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Abakan Inc., Miami, announces that its 72% owned subsidiary, MesoCoat Inc., Euclid, Ohio, received the highly prestigious National Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE) Materials Performance (MP) Corrosion Innovation of the Year Award in the coatings and linings category. The award was conferred upon MesoCoat's CermaClad high-speed, large-area, metal cladding technology that extends the useful life of metal assets while significantly reducing associated maintenance and downtime costs. Cermaclad uses a high-intensity arc lamp to rapidly fuse protective, proprietary cladding materials onto the internal surface of steel pipe and tube.
Abakan CEO, Robert Miller, stated, "Our goal is to improve the useful life of metals beyond current cladding technology standards. It's common knowledge that corrosion is the number one limiting factor in the life of metals. CermaClad anti-corrosion and anti-wear cladding technology represents a revolutionary advancement in corrosion prevention and mitigation technologies because it can produce an exceptional product at a lower cost and a fraction of the manufacturing time of competing technologies. In short, it is a significantly better, less expensive, and faster alternative to current industry standards."
NACE serves approximately 30,000 members in 116 countries and is recognized globally as the premier authority for corrosion control solutions and has become the leader in developing corrosion prevention and control standards, certification and education. Honoring the most important innovations impacting corrosion control today, the Corrosion Innovation of the Year awards showcase progressive technological developments in all aspects of corrosion prevention and mitigation and recognize the innovators who have created revolutionary solutions to combat corrosion and protect vital assets from its damaging effects.
MP magazine invited those involved in the corrosion control industry (individuals, companies, organizations, and governments) to submit nominations for the awards, resulting in a total of 34 nominations from seven countries. A panel of leading corrosion experts rated the corrosion-control innovations and the top 10 innovations were announced March 10 at CORROSION 2014—NACE International's annual corrosion conference and exposition. CermaClad received the highest ranking.
"It is extremely motivating for our team to see the world's preeminent corrosion association honoring CermaClad(TM) technology as the top anti-corrosion coatings technology available today," continued
Miller. "This award, along with several others received for CermaClad, coupled with the support we've received from many oil and gas majors and some of the world's largest offshore pipe manufacturers provide further validation for the enormous potential of our technology. We're thrilled to be recognized with this highly-esteemed award."
At U.S. $2.2 trillion, the annual cost of corrosion worldwide is over 3% of the world's GDP, not to mention the estimated 1.8 tons of CO2 emitted by each ton of steel produced. "Since the mid-20th century, there has been almost no innovation in metal cladding. The limitations of current technologies led MesoCoat to develop a solution to address this large and growing market. Imagine the possibilities of steel assets that last 3 to 6 times longer than what are available today. It will lead to a paradigm shift in metal asset protection and life extension and make a significant impact in almost every industry," says Miller.
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MesoCoat Inc.
CermaClad
Abakan Inc., Miami, announces that its 72% owned subsidiary, MesoCoat Inc., Euclid, Ohio, received the highly prestigious National Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE) Materials Performance (MP) Corrosion Innovation of the Year Award in the coatings and linings category.
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QuesTek to serve as research partner for lightweight materials innovation institute
March 11, 2014
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QuesTek Innovations, Evanston, Ill., announces that it has been selected as a research partner by the U.S. Department of Defense under the Lightweight and Modern Metals Manufacturing Innovation (LM3I) solicitation. It is led by the collaboration between the Edison Welding Institute, the University of Michigan, and the Ohio State University. This institute brings together the collaborative partnership of the federal government and a Detroit-based consortium of more than 50 universities, non-profits, and companies from around the country, including QuesTek Innovations LLC as a research partner.
The effort addresses a critical need for affordable and high-performance lightweight metals, as well as advances in their associated design and manufacturing processes, that will benefit large sectors of the U.S. economy such as metal production, casting, and metalworking.
QuesTek's Chief Science Officer, Dr. Gregory B. Olson, will serve as the leader of "Novel Materials," one of 15 key technology development pillars that bring together experts within the respective fields. Dr. Jason Sebastian, QuesTek's Manager of Technology and Product Development, will serve as one of seven experts in the technology development area of Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME). QuesTek's unique role and expertise will contribute to the innovative "ecosystem" that draws together the full spectrum of capabilities and spans the entire value chain of lightweight manufacturing.
QuesTek has been developing new breakthrough alloys since 1997 using ICME methodologies and its Materials by Design technology. Four QuesTek high performance steels (Ferrium M54, Ferrium S53, Ferrium C61 and Ferrium C64 steels) were successfully developed and licensed to Carpenter Technology. These Ferrium steels are displacing materials that have been used for decades in demanding applications such as aircraft landing gear, arresting hook shanks and hook points; and helicopter power transmission gears and rotor shafts. The steels also serve oil and gas applications and other industries. In addition, novel alloys based on Al, Ni, Co, Cu, Mo are being designed and developed by QuesTek, based on ICME ensuring successful design and accelerated implementation.
Other members of ALMMII with whom QuesTek will be closely collaborating include Northwestern University, Thermo-Calc, Boeing Company, General Electric, and Lockheed Martin.
www.questek.com
QuesTek Innovations, Evanston, Ill., announces that it has been selected as a research partner by the U.S. Department of Defense under the Lightweight and Modern Metals Manufacturing Innovation (LM3I) solicitation.
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Ambrell induction heating equipment enables fast repeatable heating for aerospace manufacturers
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Ambrell, an Ameritherm Company, Scottsville, N.Y., designs fast, repeatable, controllable, noncontact heating equipment with a minimal footprint that makes it an ideal solution for aerospace manufacturers. Induction heating is used for decarburization, brazing, and preheating, among other applications, during the manufacture of fasteners, turbine blades, and much more. It provides the ability to increase production and boost quality within the aerospace industry.
Additionally, Ambrell offers monitoring and logging of temperature and other key operating parameters via eView induction heating software. This software often helps suppliers to meet aerospace manufacturer specifications for parts. One such example is numerous aerospace fastener suppliers using eVIEW to meet data logging requirements.
Ambrell also offers free application testing in its Applications Lab. From the testing, engineeers determine the optimal system for the client's application, accounting for their parts and required heating time. Systems from 1 kW to over 1 MW enable a solution whether the application is large or small.
Ambrell will be exhibiting and demonstrating its induction heating solutions for aerospace at MFG4 in Hartford, Conn., May 6-8 in booth 1208.
www.ambrell.com
Ambrell, an Ameritherm Company, Scottsville, N.Y., designs fast, repeatable, controllable, noncontact heating equipment with a minimal footprint that makes it an ideal solution for aerospace manufacturers.
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Aviation seating to be made of magnesium for the first time
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Magnesium Elektron, England, announces the first use of its proprietary Elektro 43 alloy in aviation seating. Zim Flugsitz GmbH, a German manufacturer of seating for the aerospace industry, is now producing seats with major structural components made from Elektron 43. The new seats will provide a significant weight reduction compared to aluminum alloys, while retaining strength and ductility. The first new seats are scheduled to enter service later in 2014 in a low-volume non-commercial aviation platform.
"The use of our Elektron 43 magnesium alloy has enabled Zim Flugsitz to surpass their weight-reduction targets and improve the fuel efficiency and endurance in this new application," says Steve Montisci, European Technical Sales Manager, Wrought Products. "This project is an important step and will demonstrate the benefits that Elektron magnesium alloys can bring to future lightweighting strategies for commercial aircraft designers and operators."
Magnesium Elektron alloys have been widely used in military aircraft for many years, as well as in critical engine components for civil aircraft. During the past decade, Magnesium Elektron has been working with regulatory agencies, aircraft manufacturers, and seat manufacturers around the world to gain acceptance for magnesium in civil aircraft interiors, including changing provisions of SAE standard AS8049 so that magnesium can be approved for commercial aircraft with 20 seats or more.
In June 2013, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced: "With the results of the Magnesium Full Scale Testing and the progress demonstrated in the development of the lab scale test method, the FAA would now allow magnesium in aircraft seats, providing the requirements and conditions as set out in the Special Conditions are satisfied."
The FAA, European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the aircraft industry continue their work to finalize the framework of the Special Conditions route for commercial aircraft applications.
www.magnesium-elektron.com
Magnesium Elektron, England, announces the first use of its proprietary Elektro 43 alloy in aviation seating.
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Harper wins contracts worth $38 million for carbon fiber production systems
March 10, 2014
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Harper International, Buffalo, N.Y., has been awarded contracts worth $38 million for advanced three meter wide oxidation ovens, LT and HT carbonization systems, waste gas abatement systems, fiber handling, and integrated additional unit operations, controls, and services. Harper's proprietary atmospheric seals reduce fugitive emissions, increase the active volume of the oven, and offer reduced energy consumption over alternatives.
For the customer, this and other technology advancements equal optimized fiber quality and production rates due to faster oxidation, improved velocity uniformity and range capability, assured temperature uniformity, and optimal control of the reaction.
"Harper's cutting-edge technology combined with our respected Pulse service program provides customers with the most secure path to success in Carbon Fiber production," says Charles Miller, President at Harper. "We strive to be identified as offering the most superior technology on the market for a range of fiber precursors, from research scale Microlines, to the largest scale production plants in the industry."
www.harperintl.com
Harper International, Buffalo, N.Y., has been awarded contracts worth $38 million for advanced three meter wide oxidation ovens, LT and HT carbonization systems, waste gas abatement systems, fiber handling, and integrated additional unit operations, controls, and services.
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PTFE/NanoDiamond coating doubles surface durability and reduces friction by up to 66%
March 9, 2014
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Carbodeon, Helsinki, Finland, has released a new PTFE/NanoDiamond coating with twice the durability and up to 66% less friction than current products. The new coating has huge potential to cost-effectively reduce CO2 output and fuel demand, as well as to improve equipment lifespan, in fields such as the automotive, aerospace and industrial machinery industries.
NanoDiamond particles are hard, small, and offer very low surface friction. Carbodeon has developed a liquid dispersion of 4-6nm NanoDiamond particles with surface chemistry that has been specially created to integrate the particles with PTFE molecules without the use of additional surfactants. The new dispersion, called uDiamond Vox D, is the latest addition to Carbodeon's range of NanoDiamond materials.
The improvements in durability and friction result partly from the properties of the diamond material, but equally important are the changes to the overall coating structure caused by the presence of the particles. The use of hard particles to improve the durability of coatings is well known, but the combination of small size and surface functionalization in the uDiamond Vox D coating means that Carbodeon's particles are interfaced with PTFE molecules in a fundamentally different way.
Formulation of the coatings is straightforward – the uDiamond Vox D is supplied as an aqueous or solvent-based dispersion ready for direct mixing into a PTFE coating, followed by application by spray or screen printing with little or no change to the process parameters.
www.carbodeon.com
Carbodeon, Helsinki, Finland, has released a new PTFE/NanoDiamond coating with twice the durability and up to 66% less friction than current products.
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Ohio Third Frontier loans MesoCoat $1.5 million to scale up nanocomposite powder production
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MesoCoat Inc., Euclid, Ohio, has been awarded a $1.5 million loan from the Ohio Department of Development's Ohio Third Frontier Commission to assist MesoCoat to increase the scale-up of PComP powder production from 18 tons to 160 tons per year. These nanocomposite powder coatings are positioned to replace the very expensive tungsten carbide coatings and toxic electrolytic chrome plating.
PcomP nanocomposite metal-ceramic coatings offer the wear and corrosion resistance of ceramic materials, such as diamond or glass, but with the toughness and resilience of metals. They are up to 70% lighter than tungsten carbide coatings, and up to 40% lighter than the hard chrome alternative, due to the use of light and low-cost nitride-based reinforcements.
Product lines include cermets fabricated into a hierarchical structure by a patented process that produces particle sizes down to the nanoscale. These nanocomposite coatings impart wear and corrosion resistance to metal surfaces and reduce friction in sliding wear applications. The PComP cermet coatings are easy to apply and machine to tight tolerances for dimensional restoration of worn industrial components.
The coatings are designed to act as a drop-in replacement for competing thermal spray materials that can be used in existing application systems based on a unique, patented coating microstructure that combines the high hardness zones of a ductile metal in an optimal geometry.
According to Robert Miller, CEO of MesoCoat parent Abakan Inc., Miami, "PComP powders have consistently demonstrated three to eight times longer life for treated components, at lower life-cycle cost, leading to reductions in downtime and losses. We believe that this is the right time to step up our efforts towards driving rapid adoption of these breakthrough coatings."
www.abakaninc.com
www.mesocoat.com
MesoCoat Inc., Euclid, Ohio, has been awarded a $1.5 million loan from the Ohio Department of Development’s Ohio Third Frontier Commission to assist MesoCoat to increase the scale-up of PComP powder production from 18 tons to 160 tons per year.
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Easier access to journal content for member subscribers
March 7, 2014
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Now with the new ASM website accessing your ASM journal subscriptions is easier than ever. Now you need less clicks to access your content. Follow the new instructions below.
Instructions for ASM members to access journal content:
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Login to the ASM website at www.asminternational.org.
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Click on the "My Subscriptions" tab in the left navigation pane.
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Select the name of the journal (in blue) you wish to access. This will take you to the journal page on Springer. If you have subscriptions to other ASM content in addition to journals, such as the member magazine, Advanced Materials and Processes, and the ASM Desk Editions Online, you will see those listed on this page as well.
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If you are already logged into the ASM site and on another page, you can access the subscription page by clicking on "Welcome" and your name at the top of the screen, or by clicking on "My ASM."
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Troubleshooting
If you have recently been to the Springer site other than through the ASM website, it may remember you as a non-subscriber and indicate that access is not available or ask you to log in or pay for access.
If that happens, you may need to clear out the cookies and temporary history files on your computer and close your internet connection. When you go back in through the ASM site, it should recognize you as a subscriber.
Now with the new ASM website accessing your ASM journal subscriptions is easier than ever. Now you need less clicks to access your content.
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ThyssenKrupp completes sale of Alabama rolling/coating plant
March 5, 2014
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ThyssenKrupp Steel USA, Alpharetta, Ga., has completed the sale of its rolling and coating plant in Calvert, Ala., to a consortium of ArcelorMittal and Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corp. Upon closing, ThyssenKrupp received a purchase price of $1.55 billion from the consortium.
At the same time a valuable long-term slab supply contract has been agreed upon that will provide a sustainable solution for the ThyssenKrupp CSA steel mill in Brazil. The consortium will purchase two million tons of slabs per year from ThyssenKrupp CSA through 2019. The agreement will reliably secure a minimum 40% capacity utilization of the plant for several years. In addition, stronger penetration of the slab markets in South and North America will further increase ThyssenKrupp CSA's capacity utilization.
The combination of the sale and the slab supply contract will help ThyssenKrupp improve its cash flow profile and key financials in the future.
http://www.thyssenkrupp.com/
ThyssenKrupp Steel USA, Alpharetta, Ga., has completed the sale of its rolling and coating plant in Calvert, Ala., to a consortium of ArcelorMittal and Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corp.
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