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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 1,009 records · Page 56
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2019

Characterization, Mechanism and Control Measures of V Segregation in Continuous Casting Billet of C-Mn Steel

To eliminate V segregation, which significantly deteriorates the homogeneity of continuous casting steel billets, V segregation in the C-Mn steel billet was observed by microscope, SEM and EDS. The formation mechanism and control measures for V segregation were proposed. Results show that many slim V segregation strips are distributed on an inverted conical surface and that most segregation strips start from the vertex of the inverted conical surface. A series of inverted conical surfaces containing V segregation strips periodically appears along the longitudinal direction of the billet. The microstructures in the V segregation strip are fine granular structures, while the microstructures outside the V segregation strip are coarse Widmanstätten. The V segregation strip also contains many inclusions and porosities. The formation mechanism for V segregation, which is illuminated by a physical simulation of Al-5wt pctCu alloy, is attributed to the fissure in the equiaxed dendritic network torn by solidification contraction. By controlling the percentage and distribution of equiaxed grains, the V segregation in the billet of C-Mn steel is completely eliminated.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2019

Mathematical Modeling on the Influence of Casting Parameters on Initial Solidification at the Meniscus of Slab Continuous Casting

In the current study, the two-dimensional mold model was applied to investigate the influence of different casting parameters on the initial solidification at the meniscus of the continuous casting mold. The profile of the meniscus and the slag rim, and the heat flux on the hot face of the copper plate, were compared with different locations of the mold and different casting parameters. The depth of the oscillation marks and solidified meniscus through simulation was measured with different casting parameters. With the mold oscillating downward from the peak to the valley, the maximum heat flux on the hot face of the copper plate near the meniscus increased from 4.3 to 5.5 MW/m{sup 2}, the thickness of the slag rim decreased from 4.7 to 4.2 mm, and the height of the curved meniscus also decreased. With the increase of casting speed from 1.2 to 1.45 m/min, the maximum speed of the upper backflow increased from 0.6 to 0.8 m/s, and the lowest location of the meniscus at approximately 310 mm from the copper plate decreased from 22 to 12 mm below the meniscus near the nozzle, where the slag entrapment easily occurred. With the increase of the casting speed, casting superheat, and oscillation frequency, and the decrease of the water flow rate in the mold and oscillation amplitude, the thickness of the slag rim decreased. With the increase of casting speed and superheat, and the decrease of the water flow rate in the mold, oscillation frequency, and oscillation amplitude, the depth of the solidified meniscus decreased. The regression equation was fitted to estimate the depth of hooks at the subsurface of slabs.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2019

Influence of Electropulsing Treatment on the Initial Solidification of Molten Steel During Continuous Casting

An electropulsing-assisted mold simulator (EPMS) technique was developed to investigate the effect of pulsed electric current on the initial solidification behavior of molten steel during the process of continuous casting. The results indicated that the variation of mold hot surface temperatures in the meniscus area decreased from 375.8 K to 394 K for the case without electropulsing treatment (EPT) to 363.5 K to 377.3 K for the one with EPT. The mold surface heat fluxes fluctuated around the baseline of 0.83 and 2.42 MW/m{sup 2} in the cases with and without EPT, respectively, which indicated that a higher thermal resistance between the initial shell and copper mold was introduced by employing the EPT. The crystal fraction of slag films increased from 69.8 to 77.9 pct, whereas the grain size of mold flux film decreased, when compared the case of EPT treatment with the benchmark one, which suggested that the pulsed electric current promotes the movement of molten clusters and particles, leading to the enhancement of mold flux crystallization and the improvement of thermal resistance. Moreover, the solidification structure of steel along the direction of solidification (from the mold to melt) includes a fine chilled grain layer close to the mold, a columnar dendrite layer in the middle, and equiaxed grains next to the melt core, in which a compacted microstructure with smaller secondary dendrite arm spacing was observed in the case of the EPT. The results demonstrate that the EPT could refine the as-cast solidification microstructure.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2019

Integrated Approach to Density-Based Spatial Clustering of Applications with Noise and Dynamic Time Warping for Breakout Prediction in Slab Continuous Casting

Mold breakout is a catastrophic accident that has serious impacts on smooth production, slab quality, and caster equipment. Accurate identification and prediction of an impending breakout are always top priorities in continuous casting operations. In view of crucial common features of mold copper plate temperatures during a breakout, such as time lag and space inversion, the concepts of density-based spatial clustering of applications with noise and dynamic time warping are introduced, and an integrated novel method for breakout prediction is developed. Through extracting and fusing the representative singularity and approximation of temperature variation, the typical temporal and spatial temperature characteristics during breakout can be distinguished and predicted accurately. Compared with traditional methods of logical judgment and artificial neural network, the method based on clustering does not need to modify forecast thresholds or parameters artificially, which overcomes the limitation of model dependence on human beings, and demonstrates excellent adaptability and robustness for online abnormality prevention.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2019

Evolutions of the Micro- and Macrostructure and Tensile Property of Cu-15Ni-8Sn Alloy During Electromagnetic Stirring-Assisted Horizontal Continuous Casting

The present study investigates the evolution of the micro- and macrostructure and tensile property of the Cu-15Ni-8Sn (weight percent) alloy prepared by horizontal continuous casting and electromagnetic stirring (EMS). The results show that the application of EMS is beneficial for grain refinement and for microstructure transformation from the dendrite to the rosette structure and that it leads to a significant improvement in the tensile property. The forced flow induced by EMS homogenizes the temperature field ahead of the solid-liquid interface, disturbing the heat flow direction and resulting in the columnar to equiaxed transition. The grain refinement under different electromagnetic stirring frequencies is mainly derived from the homogenization of the temperature and the remelting of dendritic arms. In addition, the evolution of the tensile property with and without EMS is discussed from the perspective of fracture mode and fine-grain strengthening.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Properties of Rolled AZ31 Magnesium Alloy Sheet Fabricated by Continuous Variable Cross-Section Direct Extrusion

Rolling is currently a widely used method for manufacturing and processing high-performance magnesium alloy sheets and has received widespread attention in recent years. Here, we combined continuous variable cross-section direct extrusion (CVCDE) and rolling processes. The microstructure and mechanical properties of the resulting sheets rolled at different temperatures from CVCDE extrudate were investigated by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscopy and electron backscatter diffraction. The results showed that a fine-grained microstructure was present with an average grain size of 3.62 μm in sheets rolled from CVCDE extrudate at 623 K. Dynamic recrystallization and a large strain were induced by the multi-pass rolling, which resulted in grain refinement. In the 573-673 K range, the yield strength, tensile strength and elongation initially increased and then declined as the CVCDE temperature increased. The above results provide an important scientific basis of processing, manufacturing and the active control on microstructure and property for high-performance magnesium alloy sheet.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Influence of Boron on Austenite to Ferrite Transformation Behavior of Low Carbon Steel Under Continuous Cooling

In the current work, the influence of boron on austenite to ferrite transformation behavior under continuous cooling condition and its associated features, e.g., final microstructure, mechanical properties, etc., in low carbon steel has been studied. The steels (C 0.04 wt.%, B 10-100 ppm) prepared in an open air laboratory furnace showed identical microstructures having ferrite grains of 20-25 µm. However, tensile test data indicate variation of yield strength and ultimate tensile strength with boron content. The yield point elongation and strain aging index both were found to decrease with increase in boron content or boron-to-nitrogen ratio. As the boron nitride precipitates stimulate the nucleation of ferrite phase, the dilation curves show an increase in austenite to ferrite transformation start temperature with boron content. The resulting microstructure and hardness value also corroborate the finding. Transmission electron microscopy findings revealed the presence of ultra-fine boron nitride (BN) precipitates in both grain boundary and grain body of the steel having boron concentration of 30 ppm and beyond. The presence of these precipitates also increased with boron content. Based on austenite decomposition behavior, related microstructure and hardness values it is conjectured that these BN precipitates may act as nucleating agent for polygonal ferrite during austenite decomposition, thereby softening the steel during fast cooling.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Influence of Thermal History on the Hot Ductility of a Continuously Cast Low Alloyed Cr-Mo Steel

The hot ductility of a low alloyed Cr-Mo steel has been investigated to evaluate the surface cracking sensitivity within the straightening or unbending regime during the continuous casting process. Tensile samples were subjected to various thermal treatments, including melting and solidification, and were tested at deforming temperatures ranging between 600 and 1100 °C using a strain rate of 10{sup −3} s{sup −1}. Hot ductility was evaluated based on reduction in area measurement and metallographic investigations. The investigated steel exhibits a drop in ductility at around 800 °C due to intergranular cracking. Microstructural examinations and supplementary thermokinetic computer simulations were carried out to describe the evolution of the microstructure during solidification and cooling.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

The Effects of Alloying Elements on the Continuous Cooling Transformation Behavior of 2¼Cr-1Mo Steels

The continuous cooling transformation (CCT) behavior of eight 2¼Cr-1Mo steels from a statistically designed matrix was determined. These steels contained two levels of carbon (0.07 and 0.16 wt.%), manganese (0.35 and 0.85%), chromium (1.5 and 2.8%), and molybdenum (0.3 and 1.25%). Each steel was tested in a quenching dilatometer at five to six cooling rates between 725 and 1.2 °C/min. For each CCT sample, the change in length, microstructure, and macrohardness were determined. The ferrite content was also measured for samples cooled near the ferrite nose. Pearson correlation and multiple regression analyses were performed for various CCT diagram parameters. The correlation analysis showed that carbon and chromium contents significantly affected the critical temperatures and the bainite and martensite transformation temperatures. Increasing carbon content significantly increased the hardness for the bainite and martensite range of cooling rates, but hardness at slower cooling rates was unaffected by alloying elements. Regression equations were obtained for the critical temperatures and the ferrite nose cooling rate.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2019

Effect of Heating Rate during Continuous Annealing on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of High-Strength Dual-Phase Steel

The study concerns the influence of heating rate during continuous annealing on microstructure and mechanical properties of high-strength ferrite–martensite dual-phase (DP) steel. The study suggests that the superheat (ΔT), carbon diffusion and distribution were strongly influenced by increasing the heating rate, leading to different microstructure and mechanical properties of DP steel. The morphology of martensite was observed to shift from network along ferrite grain boundaries to banded structure to uniformly dispersed, and the average ferrite grain size was refined from 5.3 to 2.0 µm. When the heating rate was 300 °C/s, the steel exhibited excellent mechanical properties with tensile strength (UTS) of 982 MPa, total elongation (TEL) of 17.5%, strength–elongation balance (UTS × TEL) of 17.2 GPa%, because of finer microstructure, uniform martensite distribution and low carbon content of martensite. Moreover, the precipitation strengthening effect of NbC is an important reason for the high-strength DP steels. In addition, the variation in strain-hardening behavior and fracture mechanism of steel subjected to different heating rates is discussed in relation to the microstructure.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2019

Corrosion Behavior of AZ31 Magnesium Alloy Produced by Continuous Variable Cross Section Direct Extrusion

In order to study the corrosion behavior of magnesium alloys of high performance in the simulated seawater by continuous variable cross section direct extrusion (CVCDE), an electrochemical method and weight loss method were used to study the difference between AZ31 magnesium alloys produced by CVCDE with different numbers of interim dies to examine the electrochemical corrosion behavior and corrosion rate at 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution in this paper. Scanning electron microscopy and x-ray diffraction were used to analyze the morphology of corrosion surfaces and the composition of the corrosion products of samples soaked for different times. The results show that after CVCDE with different numbers of interim dies, the size of the microstructure is refined gradually, and the grain orientation is also different; with the increase in the number of interim dies, the thermodynamic corrosion tendencies are different, and the corrosion resistance of samples extruded by conventional extrusion is relatively good; the charge transfer and material transfer process are the two main factors affecting the corrosion rate, which determines the direction of the electrochemical reaction; the corrosion form of the sample extruded by CVCDE is the local corrosion which is the filiform corrosion and pitting corrosion, and the corrosion product is mainly water-insoluble Mg(OH){sub 2}.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2019

Impact Behavior of Polyetheretherketone/Nickel Foam Co-continuous Composites

In this study, we prepared eight types of polyetheretherketone/nickel (PEEK/Ni) foam co-continuous phase composites (named “PEEK-Nis”) in which virgin PEEK was infiltrated into homologous hollow Ni structures by using hot pressing. Their Charpy impact behavior was investigated in accordance with ISO: 179-1, and the effect of the structure of the foam Ni on the impact properties of the PEEK-Nis was also studied. Compared with unfilled PEEK, the Ni prisms can effectively disperse, transfer, and absorb the energy of the pendulum, further improve the impact toughness of the PEEK-Nis and eventually lead to different fracture modes. The impact toughness of PEEK-Nis was mainly affected by Ni volume fraction, coating thickness, and pores per inch (PPI) value, which are mutually restricted. When the Ni content was less than 8.5%, the impact toughness of PEEK-Nis increased with an increase in PPI value. When the Ni content was between 8.5 and 18%, the impact toughness of PEEK-Nis increased with the coating thickness. When the Ni content exceeded 18%, the impact toughness decreased dramatically possibly because of the mechanical mismatch of the two-phase materials in PEEK-Nis. For further optimization, PEEK-NiB-2 was fabricated and had the most reasonable structure of the reinforcing phase. Among all PEEK-Nis, PEEK-NiB-2 exhibited the best impact toughness, with a value over two times that of unfilled PEEK.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2019

Effect of Solution Treatment on the Microstructure, Micromechanical Properties, and Kinetic Parameters of the β → α Phase Transformation during Continuous Cooling of Ti-6Al-4V Titanium Alloy

The aim of this study is to examine the effect of solution treatment temperature (STT) on the microstructure, the micromechanical properties, and the kinetic parameters of the β → α phase transformation during continuous cooling of the dual phase titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V. Increasing the STT from 1050 to 1200 °C delays the formation of the α phase during cooling and increases the value of its activation energy. The microstructural analysis reveals the emergence of α{sub W} platelets from protuberances on the α{sub GB}/α{sub W} interface. The investigation of the morphology of the α{sub W} platelets reveals the presence of ledges on their longest side showing a sharp extremity. The micromechanical properties determined by nanoindentation and microhardness tests are almost insensitive to the cooling rate but are strongly affected by the STT; the higher the STT, the lower the overall microhardness of the Ti-6Al-4V alloy. In addition, the STT affects the microhardness and the Young’s modulus of both α and β phases differently; when the STT increases, the microhardness and the Young’s modulus of the α phase decrease, whereas those of the β phase increases.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2017

Conversion of a wet waste feedstock to biocrude by hydrothermal processing in a continuous-flow reactor: grape pomace

Wet waste feedstocks present an apt opportunity for biomass conversion to fuels by hydrothermal processing. In this study, grape pomace slurries from two varieties, Montepulciano and cabernet sauvignon, have been converted into a biocrude by hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) in a bench-scale, continuous-flow reactor system. Carbon conversion to gravity-separable biocrude product up to 56 % was accomplished at relatively low temperature (350 C) in a pressurized (sub-critical liquid water) environment (20 MPa) when using grape pomace feedstock slurry with a 16.8 wt% concentration of dry solids processed at a liquid hourly space velocity of 2.1 h-1. Direct oil recovery was achieved without the use of a solvent and biomass trace mineral components were removed by processing steps so that they did not cause processing difficulties. In addition, catalytic hydrothermal gasification (CHG) was effectively applied for HTL byproduct water cleanup using a Ru on C catalyst in a fixed bed producing a gas composed of methane and carbon dioxide from water soluble organics. Conversion of 99.8% of the chemical oxygen demand (COD) left in the aqueous phase was demonstrated. As a result, high conversion of grape pomace to liquid and gas fuel products was found with residual organic contamination in byproduct water reduced to <150 mg/kg COD.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2018

Effect of temperature control on green algae grown under continuous culture

The large-scale cultivation of algae of commercial value requires a variety of important energy-related inputs to achieve the proposed yields required for economic viability. One specific energy input of interest is temperature control and the associated costs of this control, both in terms of initial capital investment and costs associated with continued cooling or heating. In this work, the green algae Neochloris oleoabundans and Scenedesmus dimorphus were grown in tightly-controlled turbidostat-based photobioreactors to determine the potential benefits of temperature control for biomass production of these organisms versus allowing these cultures to experience temperature fluctuations similar to what would be found in uncontrolled, outdoor open ponds or closed bioreactors. The results of these studies indicate stark differences between these two strains, with N. oleoabundans yielding improved growth rates under conditions of stringent temperature control at 22 °C, while S. dimorphus yielded slightly higher growth under conditions where temperature was allowed to fluctuate based on modeled natural temperature profiles. Further analysis reveals that the utilization of non-conventional temperature profiles could enhance growth yields further for N. oleoabundans, allowing it to overcome the detrimental effects of the natural temperature fluctuation. These results and a discussion of the potential for turbidostat-based algal culture growth are presented.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2017

Performance and accuracy of criticality calculations performed using WARP – A framework for continuous energy Monte Carlo neutron transport in general 3D geometries on GPUs

In this companion paper to "Algorithmic Choices in WARP - A Framework for Continuous Energy Monte Carlo Neutron Transport in General 3D Geometries on GPUs" (doi:10.1016/j.anucene.2014.10.039), the WARP Monte Carlo neutron transport framework for graphics processing units (GPUs) is benchmarked against production-level central processing unit (CPU) Monte Carlo neutron transport codes for both performance and accuracy. We compare neutron flux spectra, multiplication factors, runtimes, speedup factors, and costs of various GPU and CPU platforms running either WARP, Serpent 2.1.24, or MCNP 6.1. WARP compares well with the results of the production-level codes, and it is shown that on the newest hardware considered, GPU platforms running WARP are between 0.8 to 7.6 times as fast as CPU platforms running production codes. Also, the GPU platforms running WARP were between 15% and 50% as expensive to purchase and between 80% to 90% as expensive to operate as equivalent CPU platforms performing at an equal simulation rate.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2019

Critical density of topological defects upon a continuous phase transition

Using extensive Monte Carlo simulations, we test the hypothesis that the density of corresponding topological defects has a universal value at the temperature of a continuous phase transition. We consider several simple two-dimensional models where domain walls, vortices, so-called Z{sub 2} vortices or their combinations are presented. These topological defects are relevant correspondingly to an Ising second-order phase transition, a Berezinskii–Kosterlitz–Thouless transition and an explicit crossover. We compare results for square and triangular lattices as well as for the complicated situation when two types of defects are presented and two transitions occur separated in temperature. All considered cases demonstrate consentient results confirming the hypothesis.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗