The conditions which affect twinning in tantalum have been investigated across a range of strain rates and initial dislocation densities. Tantalum samples were subjected to a range of strain rates, from 10−4/s to 103/s under uniaxial stress conditions, and under laser-induced shock-loading conditions. In this study, twinning was observed at 77K at strain rates from 1/s to 103/s, and during laser-induced shock experiments. The effect of the initial dislocation density, which was imparted by deforming the material to different amounts of pre-strain, was also studied, and it was shown that twinning is suppressed after a given amount of pre-strain, even as the global stress continues to increase. These results indicate that the conditions for twinning cannot be represented solely by a critical global stress value, but are also dependent on the evolution of the dislocation density. In addition, the analysis shows that if twinning is initiated, the nucleated twins may continue to grow as a function of strain, even as the dislocation density continues to increase.

Oxide Dispersion Strengthened (ODS) steels' qualities of radiation damage resistance and high strength at high temperature make them promising nuclear structural materials. However, the dispersed yttria that gives ODS steel its beneficial qualities are generally compromised during joining processes, making fabrication difficult and expensive. The selective laser sintering process offers a potential path through this barrier by which net-shape parts can feasibly be built via additive manufacturing without fully melting the structure.Rastering a 400 W laser over a 110 mu m MA956 ODS steel powder bed, we additively built parts with varying build conditions. Although density was achieved to within 97% of the wrought MA956, ultimate tensile strengths achieved only 65% of the wrought strength. Spectroscopy analysis points to the agglomeration of the yttria nano-particles as a possible explanation for the loss in strength. Further study might benefit from exploration of other parameters such as thinner powder build layers which would require less energy input to achieve sintering while minimizing time above the melting temperature. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

La presente invention concerne un systeme destine a realiser un processus de fabrication d'impression 3D (AM) sur un materiau en poudre formant un substrat. Le systeme peut utiliser un ensemble de diodes afin de generer un signal optique suffisant pour faire fondre le materiau en poudre du substrat. Un masque peut etre utilise pour eviter qu'une premiere partie predefinie du signal optique n'atteigne le substrat, tout en permettant a une seconde partie predefinie d'atteindre le substrat. Au moins un processeur peut etre utilise pour commander une sortie de l'ensemble de diodes.

A comprehensive set of processing-microstructure relationships is presented for friction stir welded oxide dispersion strengthened MA956 steel. Eight rotational speed/traverse speed combinations were used to produce friction stir welds on MA956 plates using a polycrystalline cubic boron nitride tool. Weld conditions with high thermal input produced defect-free, full-penetration welds. Electron backscatter diffraction results showed a significant increase in grain size, a persistent body centered cubic torsional texture in the stir zone, and a sharp transition in grain size across the thermo-mechanically affected zone sensitive to weld parameters. Micro-indentation showed an asymmetric reduction in hardness across a transverse section of the weld. This gradient in hardness was greatly increased with higher heat inputs. The decrease in hardness after welding correlates directly with the increase in grain size and may be explained with a Hall–Petch type relationship.

At Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, we are developing a reduced activation ferritic martensitic steel that is based on the ferritic martensitic steel HT-9. As a part of the development of this steel, we tested a series of welding processes for characterization, including conventional welds (electron beam, tungsten inert gas, and laser) as well as solid-state welds (hot isostatic pressing). We also heat treated the joints at various temperatures between 750 degrees C and 1050 degrees C to find a suitable normalization scheme. The modified HT-9 reduced activation fenitic martensitic steel appears highly suitable to welding and diffusion bonding. All welds showed good quality fusion zones with insignificant cracking or porosity. Additionally, a heat treatment schedule of 950 degrees C for one hour caused minimal grain growth while still converging the hardness of the base metal with that of the fusion and heat-affected zones. Also, modified HT-9 diffusion bonds that were created at temperatures of at least 950 degrees C for two hours at 103 MPa had interface tensile strengths of greater than 600 MPa. The diffusion bonds showed no evidence of increased hardness nor void formation at the diffusion bonded interface. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Selective laser melting is a powder-based, additive-manufacturing process where a three-dimensional part is produced, layer by layer, by using a high-energy laser beam to fuse the metallic powder particles. A particular challenge in this process is the selection of appropriate process parameters that result in parts with desired properties. In this study, we describe an approach to selecting parameters for high-density (>99 %) parts using 316L stainless steel. Though there has been significant success in achieving near-full density for 316L parts, this work has been limited to laser powers <225 W. We discuss how we can exploit prior knowledge, design of computational experiments using a simple model of laser melting, and single-track experiments to determine the process parameters for use at laser powers up to 400 W. Our results show that, at higher power values, there is a large range of scan speeds over which the relative density remains >99 %, with the density reducing rapidly at high speeds due to insufficient melting, and less rapidly at low speeds due to the effect of voids created as the process enters keyhole mode.

The competition between dislocation slip and twinning in tantalum single crystals has been investigated utilizing a crystal level twinning model and the results from gas gun recovery experiments conducted at peak normal stresses of 25 and 55 GPa. The recovered samples were characterized using electron back scattered diffraction, and the observed twinning fractions were compared with the model. The experimental results show very low twin fractions in all orientations at 25 GPa, and that among (100), (110), (111), and (123) crystals, the (110) crystals had the largest amount of twinning at 55 GPa. The analysis shows that the general trends observed in the experimental data can be reproduced by the model when an orientation dependent dislocation evolution is used. This analysis gives insight into the possible influence of the dislocation density and its evolution on the observed twinning behavior.

We report on the grain size dependent morphological, physical and chemical properties of thick microwave-plasma assisted chemical vapor deposited (MPCVD) diamond films that are used as target materials for high energy density physics experiments at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Control over the grain size, ranging from several μm to a few nm, was achieved by adjusting the CH4 content of the CH4/H2 feed gas. The effect of grain size on surface roughness, morphology, texture, density, hydrogen and graphitic carbon content was systematically studied by a variety of techniques. For depositions performed at 35 to 45 mbar and 3000 W microwave power (power density ~ 10 W cm− 3), an abrupt transition from micro-crystalline diamond to nanocrystalline diamond was observed at 3% CH4. This transition is accompanied by a dramatic decrease in surface roughness, a six percent drop in density and an increasing content in hydrogen and graphitic carbon impurities. Guided by these results, layered nano-microhybrid diamond samples were prepared by periodically changing the growth conditions from nano- to microcrystalline.

to measure the temperature dependence of charge transfer kinetics in situ, while an environmental electron microscope (ESEM) equipped with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) was used for postexposure examination of test samples. ODS steel experienced corrosion in the molten fluoride salts at 550 to 900 C, even in carefully controlled glove-box environments with very low levels of oxygen and moisture. The observed rate of attack was found to accelerate dramatically at temperatures above 800 C. Tantalum and tantalum-based alloys such as Ta-1W and Ta-10W have exceptional high temperature strength, far better than ODS steels. Unlike ODS steels, tantalum has been found to exhibit some immunity to corrosive attack by molten fluoride salts at temperatures as high as 900 C, though there is some indication that grain boundary attack may have occurred. Unfortunately, tantalum alloys are known to become brittle during irradiation and exposure to hydrogen, both of which are important in fusion applications.