Search NASA⌕ Search

Engineering topics

Guo, Shengmin

Publications and source records attributed to Guo, Shengmin.

Peak microhardness recovery via T6 heat treatment with extremely soft annealed Al7075 feedstock in additive friction stir deposition

With standard T6 heat treatments, precipitate-hardened alloys such as Al7075 and Al6061 fabricated using Additive Friction Stir Deposition (AFSD) method restore to noticeablely different peak mechanical properties. Previous research observed similar results but did not provide a viable solution. This study proposes a new processing strategy, namely enhanced plastic deformation by subjecting the Al7075 feedstock to annealed softening treatments. Specifically, by annealing the standard T651-Al7075 feedstock and deposition substrate (179 HV), their Microhardness were first degraded to its lowest state (80 HV), which is called a Soft-to-Soft system. For the Soft-to-Soft system subjected to AFSD, after undergoing appropriate T6 heat treatment, the microhardness of the AFSD 7075 alloy was restored to its peak value (183.1 ± 1.8 HV). The results indicate that this softening strategy can effectively reduce the non-strengthening phase in the AFSD matrix, thereby increasing the strengthening phase (η′ phase). This addresses the issue of traditional AFSD-prepared aluminum alloys being unable to achieve peak performance through T6 heat treatment.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Neutron Imaging of Al6061 Prepared by Solid-State Friction Stir Additive Manufacturing

Solid-state Friction Stir Additive Manufacturing has recently gained attention as a result of its capacity to fabricate large-scale parts while preserving the mechanical properties of the feedstock material. However, the correlation between the quality of layer-by-layer bonding of the deposited metal and processing parameters has remained unknown. Neutron imaging techniques, with 90% total transmission per cm, are employed for Al6061 parts fabricated by MELD ® Technology as a non-destructive evaluation approach for the first time to investigate the layer-by-layer structure of a stadium-shaped ingot in different sections. The post-processed results show the fabricated parts with an optimized set of processing parameters are void-free. However, the hydrocarbon-based feedstock lubricant segregates between the layers, which consequently may lead to non-uniform weaker mechanical properties along the build direction and stimulate crack initiation during mechanical loading. The tensile test results show 14% lower strain-to-failure values in alleged contaminated areas in transmission imaging results. Additionally, layer bonding is significantly impacted by hot-on-hot and hot-on-cold layer deposition schemes, especially for larger layer thicknesses.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Machine learning prediction of the mechanical properties of refractory multicomponent alloys based on a dataset of phase and first principles simulation

In this work, a dataset including structural and mechanical properties of refractory multicomponent alloys was developed by fusing computations of phase diagram (CALPHAD) and density functional theory (DFT). The refractory multicomponent alloys, also named refractory complex concentrated alloys (CCAs) which contain 2–5 types of refractory elements were constructed based on Special Quasi-random Structure (SQS). The phase of alloys was predicted using CALPHAD and the mechanical property of alloys with stable and single body-centered cubic (BCC) at high temperature (over 1,500°C) was investigated using DFT-based simulation. As a result, a dataset with 393 refractory alloys and 12 features, including volume, melting temperature, density, energy, elastic constants, mechanical moduli, and hardness, were produced. To test the capability of the dataset on supporting machine learning (ML) study to investigate the property of CCAs, CALPHAD, and DFT calculations were compared with principal components analysis (PCA) technique and rule of mixture (ROM), respectively. It is demonstrated that the CALPHAD and DFT results are more in line with experimental observations for the alloy phase, structural and mechanical properties. Furthermore, the data were utilized to train a verity of ML models to predict the performance of certain CCAs with advanced mechanical properties, highlighting the usefulness of the dataset for ML technique on CCA property prediction.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Physics-based Multiscale Additively Manufactured Superalloy Design for Optimized High Cycle Fatigue Life (Final Report)

The objectives of this project are to: (i) Gain fundamental understandings towards the microscopic damage mechanisms, as impacted by pertinent materials properties (e.g. stacking fault energy (SFE) and microstructure (e.g., grain size), leading to high-cycle fatigue (HCF) damage to AM Ni-based superalloy parts; (ii) Provide scientific insight into the effect of testing frequency on damage mechanisms and fatigue life of AM Ni-based superalloy parts under HCF regime, thereby establishing an appropriate correlation between accelerated testing and materials’ true service life; (iii) Devise an accurate, experimentally validated multiscale model across atomic, micro- and meso-scales, to predict the cyclic stress-strain responses and fatigue damage accumulation for AM Ni-based superalloys under various loading frequencies.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Small-sized specimen design with the provision for high-frequency bending-fatigue testing

The testing and study of emerging materials—such as additively manufactured materials—demands for specimen designs that are cost effective and time saving. Here the design of a small-sized bending-fatigue test specimen for an ultrasonic fatigue testing system is reported in this paper. The design is optimized based on the finite element analysis and analytical-solution results to achieve the proper vibration shape and stress distribution. The proposed design is evaluated in the high- and very-high-cycle fatigue regimes under 20-kHz frequency. Both simulation and testing results confirm that the desirable vibration mode occurs and the specimen fails at the designated test (gauge) section, where the maximum stress exists. The stress–life (S–N) curve is obtained for Inconel alloy 718 and indicates an expected trend.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Computational exploration of biomedical HfNbTaTiZr and Hf 0.5 Nb 0.5 Ta 0.5 Ti 1.5 Zr refractory high-entropy alloys

Refractory high entropy alloys (RHEAs) have been proven to be a potential candidate in the biomedical field due to their balanced mechanical properties and biocompatible composition. Recent experimental findings show that RHEAs like HfNbTaTiZr and Hf 0.5 Nb 0.5 Ta 0.5 Ti 1.5 Zr have good mechanical properties such as high polarization and wear resistance than others which establish them as potential materials for biomedical application. In this work, we performed first-principles density functional theory calculations on the mechanical and thermal properties of HfNbTaTiZr and Hf 0.5 Nb 0.5 Ta 0.5 Ti 1.5 Zr. The predicted lattice constant, density, Young's modulus, and Vickers hardness are consistent with the available experimental report, which verifies the accuracy of the applied model. The thermal coefficient of linear expansion of both RHEAs has been investigated by utilizing the Debye theory. The present methods could be applied to study other future RHEAs on exploration of their physical properties.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

A theoretical calculation of stacking fault energy of Ni alloys: The effects of temperature and composition

Combining cluster expansion (CE) method with one dimensional axial Ising model, this work investigated the effects of alloying elements and configurational variations due to temperature on the stacking fault energy (SFE) of FCC Ni binary alloys. Ensembles of large numbers of atomistic structures, each with more than ~400 atoms, were generated to consider sufficient long-range chemical disorder and temperature effects due to configurational entropy. Here, a Monte Carlo Metropolis algorithm was used to generate these structures, whose energies were then evaluated based on the effective cluster interactions obtained from CE. As a baseline, this work had shown the SFE of pure Ni and Al to be 127 mJ/m 2 and 137 mJ/m 2 , respectively, which agreed with the experimental values of 125 mJ/m 2 and 150 mJ/m 2 reported in the literature. Additions of Al, Ti, Cr and Co to pure Ni were found to decrease the SFE to different extents. Although temperature does not strongly influence the SFE of the FCC Ni-Al and Ni-Cr binary alloys, it can lead to significant changes to the SFE of the FCC Ni-Ti and Ni-Co alloys. While effects of temperature and composition on SFE observed in this work were calculated from binary Ni alloys, the general trends are nonetheless expected to be valid in the γ phase of multicomponent Ni superalloys.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Deep Learning-Based Hardness Prediction of Novel Refractory High-Entropy Alloys with Experimental Validation

Hardness is an essential property in the design of refractory high entropy alloys (RHEAs). This study shows how a neural network (NN) model can be used to predict the hardness of a RHEA, for the first time. We predicted the hardness of several alloys, including the novel C0.1Cr3Mo11.9Nb20Re15Ta30W20 using the NN model. The hardness predicted from the NN model was consistent with the available experimental results. The NN model prediction of C0.1Cr3Mo11.9Nb20Re15Ta30W20 was verified by experimentally synthesizing and investigating its microstructure properties and hardness. This model provides an alternative route to determine the Vickers hardness of RHEAs.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

First-principles study on the mechanical and thermodynamic properties of MoNbTaTiW

Refractory high-entropy alloys (RHEAs) are emerging as new materials for high temperature structural applications because of their stable mechanical and thermal properties at temperatures higher than 2273 K. In this study, the mechanical properties of MoNbTaTiW REDEA are examined by applying calculations based on first-principles density functional theory (DFT) and using a large unit cell with 100 randomized atoms. The phase calculation of MoNbTaTiW with CALPHAD method shows the existence of a stable body-centered cubic structure at a high temperature and a hexagonal closely packed phase at a low temperature. The predicted phase, shear modulus, Young’s modulus, Poisson’s ratio, and hardness values are consistent with available experimental results. The linear thermal expansion coefficient, vibrational entropy, and vibrational heat capacity of MoNbTaTiW RHEA are investigated in accordance with Debye-Grüneisen theory. These results may provide a basis for future research related to the application of RHEAs.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Carbide Formation in Refractory Mo 15 Nb 20 Re 15 Ta 30 W 20 Alloy under a Combined High-Pressure and High-Temperature Condition

In this work, the formation of carbide with the concertation of carbon at 0.1 at.% in refractory high-entropy alloy (RHEA) Mo 15 Nb 20 Re 15 Ta 30 W 20 was studied under both ambient and high-pressure high-temperature conditions. The x-ray diffraction of dilute carbon (C)-doped RHEA under ambient pressure showed that the phases and lattice constant of RHEA were not influenced by the addition of 0.1 at.% C. In contrast, C-doped RHEA showed unexpected phase formation and transformation under combined high-pressure and high-temperature conditions by resistively employing the heated diamond anvil cell (DAC) technique. The new FCC_L1 2 phase appeared at 6 GPa and 809 °C and preserved the ambient temperature and pressure. High-pressure and high-temperature promoted the formation of carbides Ta 3 C and Nb 3 C, which are stable and may further improve the mechanical performance of the dilute C-doped alloy Mo 15 Nb 20 Re 15 Ta 30 W 20 .

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗