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Chen, Po-Shou

Publications and source records attributed to Chen, Po-Shou.

Method of Heat Treating Aluminum-Lithium Alloy to Improve Formability

A method is provided for heat treating aluminum-lithium alloys to improve their formability. The alloy is heated to a first temperature, maintained at the first temperature for a first time period, heated at the conclusion of the first time period to a second temperature, maintained at the second temperature for a second time period, actively cooled at the conclusion of the second time period to a third temperature, maintained at the third temperature for a third time period, and then passively cooled at the conclusion of the third time period to room temperature.

Chen, Po-Shou↗

Mitigating Abnormal Grain Growth for Friction Stir Welded Al-Li 2195 Spun Formed Domes

Formability and abnormal grain growth (AGG) are the two major issues that have been encountered for Al alloy spun formed dome development using friction stir welded blanks. Material properties that have significant influence on the formability include forming range and strain hardening exponent. In this study, tensile tests were performed for two 2195 friction stir weld parameter sets at 400 F to study the effects of post weld anneal on the forming range and strain hardening exponent. It was found that the formability can be enhanced by applying a newly developed post weld anneal to heat treat the friction stir welded panels. This new post weld anneal leads to a higher forming range and much improved strain hardening exponent. AGG in the weld nugget is known to cause a significant reduction of ductility and fracture toughness. This study also investigated how AGG may be influenced by the heating rate to the solution heat treatment temperature. After post-weld annealing, friction stir welds were strained to 15% and 39% by compression at 400 F before they were subjected to SHT at 950 F for 1 hour. Salt bath SHT is very effective in reducing the grain size as it helps arrest the onset of AGG and promote normal recrystallization and grain growth. However, heat treating a 18 ft dome using a salt bath is not practical. Efforts are continuing at Marshall Space Flight Center to identify the welding parameters and heat treating parameters that can help mitigate the AGG in the friction stir welds.

Chen, Po-Shou↗

Effects of Annealing Process on the Formability of Friction Stir Welded Al-Li Alloy 2195 Plates

Large rocket cryogenic tank domes have typically been fabricated using Al-Cu based alloys like Al-Cu alloy 2219. The use of aluminum-lithium based alloys for rocket fuel tank domes can reduce weight because aluminum-lithium alloys have lower density and higher strength than Al-Cu alloy 2219. However, Al-Li alloys have rarely been used to fabricate rocket fuel tank domes because of the inherent low formability characteristic that make them susceptible to cracking during the forming operations. The ability to form metal by stretch forming or spin forming without excessive thinning or necking depends on the strain hardening exponent "n". The stain hardening exponent is a measure of how rapidly a metal becomes stronger and harder. A high strain hardening exponent is beneficial to a material's ability to uniformly distribute the imposed strain. Marshall Space Flight Center has developed a novel annealing process that can achieve a work hardening exponent on the order of 0.27 to 0.29, which is approximately 50% higher than what is typically obtained for Al-Li alloys using the conventional method. The strain hardening exponent of the Al-Li alloy plates or blanks heat treated using the conventional method is typically on the order of 0.17 to 0.19. The effects of this novel annealing process on the formability of friction stir welded Al-Li alloy blanks are being studied at Marshall Space Flight Center. The formability ratings will be generated using the strain hardening exponent, strain rate sensitivity and forming range. The effects of forming temperature on the formability will also be studied. The objective of this work is to study the deformation behavior of the friction stir welded Al-Li alloy 2195 blank and determine the formability enhancement by the new annealing process.

Chen, Po-Shou↗

Alloy NASA-HR-1

NASA-HR-1 is a high-strength Fe-Ni-base superalloy that resists high-pressure hydrogen environment embrittlement (HEE), oxidation, and corrosion. Originally derived from JBK-75, NASA-HR-1 has exceptional HEE resistance that can be attributed to its gamma-matrix and eta-free (Ni3Ti) grain boundaries. The chemistry was formulated using a design approach capable of accounting for the simultaneous effects of several alloy additions. This approach included: (1) Systematically modifying gamma-matrix compositions based on JBK-75; (2) Increasing gamma (Ni3(Al,Ti)) volume fraction and adding gamma-matrix strengthening elements to obtain higher strength; and (3) Obtaining precipitate-free grain boundaries. The most outstanding attribute of NASA-HR-1 is its ability to resist HEE while showing much improved strength. NASA-HR-1 has approximately 25% higher yield strength than JXK-75 and exhibits tensile elongation of more than 20% with no ductility loss in a hydrogen environment at 5 ksi, an achievement unparalleled by any other commercially available alloy. Its Cr and Ni contents provide exceptional resistance to environments that promote oxidation and corrosion. Microstructural stability was maintained by improved solid solubility of the gamma-matrix, along with the addition of alloying elements to retard eta (Ni3Ti) precipitation. NASA-HR-1 represents a new system that greatly extends the compositional ranges of existing HEE-resistant Fe-Ni-base superalloys.

Chen, Po-Shou↗

Aluminum Alloy and Article Cast Therefrom

A cast article from an aluminum alloy, which has improved mechanical properties at elevated temperatures, has the following composition in weight percent: Silicon 14 - 25.0, Copper 5.5 - 8.0, Iron 0.05 - 1.2, Magnesium 0.5 - 1.5, Nickel 0.05 - 0.9, Manganese 0.05 - 1.0, Titanium 0.05 - 1.2, Zirconium 0.05 - 1.2, Vanadium 0.05 - 1.2, Zinc 0.05 - 0.9, Phosphorus 0.001 - 0.1, and the balance is Aluminum, wherein the silicon-to-magnesium ratio is 10 - 25, and the copper-to-magnesium ratio is 4 - 15. The aluminum alloy contains a simultaneous dispersion of three types of Al3X compound particles (X=Ti, V, Zr) having a LI2, crystal structure, and their lattice parameters are coherent to the aluminum matrix lattice. A process for producing this cast article is also disclosed, as well as a metal matrix composite, which includes the aluminum alloy serving as a matrix and containing up to about 60% by volume of a secondary filler material.

Lee, Jonathan A.↗

Aluminum-Silicon Alloy Having Improved Properties At Elevated Temperatures and Process for Producing Cast Articles Therefrom

A process for making a cast article from an aluminum alloy includes first casting an article from an alloy having the following composition, in weight percent: Silicon 11.0-14.0, Copper 5.6-8.0, Iron 0-0.8, Magnesium 0.5-1.5, Nickel 0.05-0.9, Manganese 0-1.0, Titanium 0.05-1.2, Zirconium 0.12-1.2, Vanadium 0.05-1.2, Zinc 0.05-0.9, Strontium 0.001-0.1, Aluminum balance . In this alloy the ratio of silicon to magnesium is 10 to 25, and the ratio of copper to magnesium is 4 to 15. After an article is cast from the alloy, the cast article is aged at a temperature within the range of 400F to 500F for a time period within the range of four to 16 hours. It has been found especially advantageous if the cast article is first exposed to a solutionizing step prior to the aging step. This solutionizing step is carried out by exposing the cast article to a temperature within the range of 900F to 1000F for a time period of fifteen minutes to four hours. It has also been found to be especially advantageous if the solutionizing step is followed directly with a quenching step, wherein the cast article is quenched in a quenching medium such as water at a temperature within the range of 120F to 300F. The resulting cast article is suitable in a number of high temperature applications, such as heavy-duty pistons for internal combustion engines.

Lee, Jonathan A.↗

Aluminum-Silicon Alloy Having Improved Properties at Elevated Temperatures and Articles Cast Therefrom

An aluminum alloy suitable for high temperature applications, such as heavy duty pistons and other internal combustion applications. having the following composition, by weight percent (wt %): Silicon: 11.0-14.0; Copper: 5.6-8.0; Iron: 0-0.8; Magnesium: 0.5-1.5; Nickel: 0.05-0.9; Manganese: 0.5-1.5; Titanium: 0.05-1.2; Zirconium: 0.12-1.2; Vanadium: 0.05-1.2; Zinc: 0.005-0.9; Strontium: 0.001-0.1; Aluminum: balance. In this alloy the ratio of silicon:magnesium is 10-25, and the ratio of copper:magnesium is 4-15. After an article is cast from this alloy, the article is treated in a solutionizing step which dissolves unwanted precipitates and reduces any segregation present in the original alloy. After this solutionizing step, the article is quenched, and is then aged at an elevated temperature for maximum strength.

Lee, Jonathan A.↗

Hydrogen-Resistant Fe/Ni/Cr-Base Superalloy

Strong Fe/Ni/Cr-base hydrogen- and corrosion-resistant alloy developed. Superalloy exhibits high strength and exceptional resistance to embrittlement by hydrogen. Contains two-phase microstructure consisting of conductivity precipitated phase in conductivity matrix phase. Produced in wrought, weldable form and as castings, alloy maintains high ductility and strength in air and hydrogen. Strength exceeds previously known Fe/Cr/Ni hydrogen-, oxidation-, and corrosion-resistant alloys. Provides higher strength-to-weight ratios for lower weight in applications as storage vessels and pipes that must contain hydrogen.

Bhat, Biliyar N.↗

Alloys For Corrosive, Hydrogen-Rich Environments

"NASA-23" denotes class of alloys resisting both embrittlement by hydrogen and corrosion. Weldable and castable and formed by such standard processes as rolling, forging, and wire drawing. Heat-treated to obtain desired combinations of strength and ductility in ranges of 100 to 180 kpsi yield strength, 120 to 200 kpsi ultimate tensile strength, and 10 to 30 percent elongation at break. Used in place of most common aerospace structural alloy, Inconel(R) 718.

Mcpherson, William B.↗

Hydrogen induced fracture characteristics of single crystal nickel-based superalloys

A stereoscopic method for use with x ray energy dispersive spectroscopy of rough surfaces was adapted and applied to the fracture surfaces single crystals of PWA 1480E to permit rapid orientation determinations of small cleavage planes. The method uses a mathematical treatment of stereo pair photomicrographs to measure the angle between the electron beam and the surface normal. One reference crystal orientation corresponding to the electron beam direction (crystal growth direction) is required to perform this trace analysis. The microstructure of PWA 1480E was characterized before fracture analysis was performed. The fracture behavior of single crystals of the PWA 1480E nickel-based superalloy was studied. The hydrogen-induced fracture behavior of single crystals of the PWA 1480E nickel-based superalloy was also studied. In order to understand the temperature dependence of hydrogen-induced embrittlement, notched single crystals with three different crystal growth orientations near zone axes (100), (110), and (111) were tensile tested at 871 C (1600 F) in both helium and hydrogen atmospheres at 34 MPa. Results and conclusions are given.

Chen, Po-Shou↗