Materials 2 Flashcards
How to translate the design requirements into properties and constraints?
- Function?
- Constraints.
- Objectives.
- Free variables.
FCC
Face- centred cubic.
{111} are close packed.
<110> directions are close packed.
HCP
Hexagonal Close Packed.
{0001} planes are close packed.
<1120} directions are close packed.
Is most brittle as it has only 3 or 6 slip systems.
BCC
Body centred cubic.
No close packed planes.
<111> directions are close packed.
So, has it has no close packed planes, it is less ductile.
Define a slip system
The set of symmetrically identical slip planes (and associated family of slip directions) for which dislocation motion can easily occur and lead to plastic deformation.
Define polymorphism.
Any material that can exist in more than one form or structures.
What are the types of solid solutions?
Substitutional solid solution.
Interstitial solid solution.
Explain the types of substitutional solid substitution.
- Random
- Ordered (where B atoms prefer A atoms)
- Clustered (where B atoms prefer B atoms)
How much solute can we dissolve?
If you add too much solute, you may exceed the solubility limit and the solute will precipitate as a new solution.
This could be 2 random solutions (where nothing has an order at all)
or perhaps 1 ordered and 1 random.
Define a phase
A region of material with uniform physical and chemical properties. Phases have their own grains.
Define a grain-boundary
A grain is a region with the same crystal orientation, but has an eenrgy associated with them.
Define phase boundary
For 2-phase materials, these have an energy associated with them to join them together.
Boundaries in metals.
- Coherent (has the least energy)
- Coherency-strain
- Semi-coherent (has gaps)
- Incoherent (has the most energy)
Interfacial energy
E = GB * A
Grain boundary energy * interfacial area.
If the GB is isotropic, then the lowest E is for the shape with the lowest interfacial area.
For isotropic shapes, what is the best interfacial area? in two phase materials?
A sphere.
Because the grains want to grow in the direction of the lowest energy - and mathematically, the best shape in this case is a sphere.
For non-isotropic shapes, what is the best interfacial area? in two phase materials?
A plate. - it has the lowest gb energy.
What happens if the E(gb) = E(ab)
The beta can form their own grains adjacent to the alpha grains. This is the shape that minimises energy.
Define an alloy
The result of taking a pure metal and
adding other elements (Or “mixture of
elements”)
Define an Alloy System
All the alloys that can be made from the
components
Define a component
The elements that make up an alloy.
Define a composition
Usually measured in weight % (mass%)
Define constitution
A combination of:
The overall composition (e.g. Al-4Cu)
The number of phases present
The composition of each phase
The percentage by weight of each phase
What does the alloy constitution base on?
The number of phases present
The volume fraction of phases
The composition of each phase
These depend on:
- overall composition
- temperature.
What happens about the liquidus line
All is liquid.
How to say
‘18 wt% Nickel in Copper’
Cu-18wt% Ni
How to calculate the proportion by weight of each phase inside the L+α shape?
This is a 2 phase area.
1.Draw a horizontal line at the point, until it meets the liquidus and solidus line.
2. Read the weight % at those points.
The one meeting the Liquidus line is Cl, and the other is Cα.
Know that by conservation of mass, Cα + CL = 100%,
and C0 = fL(CL) + fα(Cα)
Can create an equatoin to calculate fα and
Melting point and alloys
They don’t have a specific melting point, but have a range instead.
Define a eutectic phase diagram
It is the phase diagram for a limited solubility limit.
A Eutectic Phase Diagram: Single phase alloys
This is the far left/ right side of the diagram. It results in all alpha or beta grains being formed.
A Eutectic Phase Diagram: Two phase alloys
Starts with a liquid, ends with the beta phases forming on the alpha grain boundaries. This is not a good way to store them, because it reduces the strength of the material, allows man more dislocations to form.
A Eutectic Phase Diagram: The eutectic composition
The liquid transforms from Liquid into solid alpha+ solid beta at one temperature - called the Eutectic temperature, at the eutectic point.
It forms sort of stripes of alpha and beta alternating, in a laminar structure, called the eutectic phase.
A Eutectic Phase Diagram: Off-eutectic alloys
It is all liquid at first, then above the eutectic temperature, solid grains start to form in the liquid. To calculate the fα(T) = (C0 - CL)/(Cα - CL)
At the eutectic temperature, the remaining liquid undergoes eutectic solidification. To calculate the fEUT(T) = (C0 - C(EUT))/(Cα - C(EUT))
Define Eutectoid
alpha -> beta + gamma.
Define Peritectic
L + alpha -> beta.
Define internal energy (U)
The sum of the kinetic potential and electrical energy of the atoms in the material.
Gibbs Energy
At equilibrium - the Gibbs Energy will be the lowest. If ∆G is negative, then it means there is a driving force for things to change.
Equation for Gibbs Energy
G = H -TS.
G = U +PV -TS
Change in gibbs energy when a solid becomes a liquid.
There is no change in gibbs energy, this is a neutral equilibrium.
Change in gibbs energy when a liquid becomes a solid.
There is a reduction in Gibbs energy if the liquid becomes a solid.
This is an unstable situation and a driving force for change.
The G(s) < G(L) for pure water at T<Tm. (Temperature lower than the melting point)
Coarsening (basic explanation)
If you have fine grains, and you increase the temperature, the size of the grains will increase. Therefore, the gibbs energy decreases, same with the driving force. So, if we have particles of phase Beta within a matric of phase Beta, there will be a change in the GE if the shape of the particles change.
Coarsening (the magnitude of the driving force)
If we decrease the size of the phase boundary, then we can minimise the precipitate growth.
Linking the driving force to an undercooling - what happens at a small departure from the melting point?
For a small departure from the melting point, the values of H and S can be considered to be independent of T.
Define undercooling and what happens in it? - Equation for it.
Cooling the liquid past the point of it melting. The bigger the undercooling, the bigger the driving force.
Undercooling = Tm - T.
Relation between the driving force and the kinetic energy (the change in transformation rate with temperature)
The driving force for transformation DeltaG increases as the temperature decreases below the melting point. This increases the undercooling; decreasing the kinetic energy. So the probability that an atom will jump from the liquid to the solid decreases.
Define diffusion
Mass transport by atomic motion.
What are structure sensitive properties
They are influenced significantly by changes to the microstructure. Density and Young’s Modulus.
What are structure insensitive properties
Aren’t influenced significantly by changes to the microstructure.
Yield strength, tensile strength, ductility, fracture toughness.
What happens if the alpha-beta Phase boundary is less than 1/2 the Grain boundary?
Then, cos theta = 1, so theta = 0.
This means that the beta phase will spread out along all the alpha grain boundaries.
Define an equilibrium constitution
At a given constant T and pressure p, there is no further tendency for the constitution to change with time.
What happens at the eutectic point?
L - > alpha + beta.
What happens at the eutectoid point?
alpha -> beta + gamma.
Upon cooling, the solid phase transforms isothermally and reversibly into 2 new solid phases that are intimately mixed.
Explain diffusion controlled phase transformation
Eutectoid growth is this way.
An element diffuses out of one phase and into another phase.
beta -> alpha + gamma.
alpha has little B, and gamma has a lot of B.
Explain why we need rcrit?
Once a nucleus has nucleated, it will not simply just start to grow immediately.
It will only grow if growing means it’ll have less energy.
All atoms that have radius above rcrit will nucleate.
Diffusive Transform.
Generally, as T is far from Tm, we expect more nuclei as the temperature decreases below the equilibrium temperature. But not too much, then the atoms don’t have enough thermal energy to form the second phase.
What is displacive transformation?
We quench and miss the nose of the TTT curve. Small lenses of BCC-Fe form at the grain boundaries and propagate across the grains at the speed of sound. There is a switch zone in front of the lenses where the FCC_Fe is broken and BCC_Fe is made instead.
How does FCC turn into BCC in displacive transformation?
Inside 2 FCC is a BCC, but it’s slightly strained. The growth of the lenses enforces this strain back to a normal BCC. There must be enough Delta_G to be converted to the strain energy and allow the displacive transformation to happen.
Phases in steel:
gamma - Austenite. - FCC.
alpha - Ferrite - BCC.
Fe3C - Iron carbide or cementite.
What is pearlite.
alpha-Fe and Fe3C eutectoid is called pearlite.
At the eutectoid transformation, the pearlite nodules grow.
Explain the diffusive transformation in hypo-eutectoid steels.
- There are gamma grains.
- Primary alpha nucleates.
- Alpha continues to grow.
- At the eutectoid composition, the gamma transforms into pearlite.
- Then there are grains of primary alpha + nodules of pearlite in the mixture.
Explain the diffusive transformation in hyper-eutectoid steels
- There are gamma grains.
- Then, Fe3C nucleates.
- Fe3C grows.
- At the eutectoid composition, the gamma becomes pearlite, and grow to consume the remaining gamma. And the alpha-Fe continue to nucleate.
What are the mechanical properties for carbon steels
Fraction of Fe3C increases with increasing C.
The yield strength and UTS increases with C content because Fe3C is a hard phase.
Ductility decreases with C content because alpha-Fe-Fe3C interfaces are good at nucleating cracks.
What happens when you add Carbon to gamma-Fe through a dispacive transformation?
Well BCC_Fe can only dissolve 0.035 wt% C. But usually, we add more than that. So, upon quenching this, a new shape, called a Body Centred Tetragonal structure forms.
The hardness of Martensite increases with Carbon content, because the carbon distorts the BCT Lattice more. The lattic distortion gives great hardness but is a very brittle material.
Explain tempering steel
If we reheat the steel to 300-600 degrees C, the carbon atoms have enough thermal energy to leave the supersaturated BCT-martensite and will react with Fe to form Fe3C.
This causes numerous, small closely packed particles of Fe3C. And the BCT Structure relaxes back to BCC.
This means that the ductility increases while the small Fe3C particles maintain a good strength/ hardness. (Don’t hold it there for too long though, or else the Fe3C will coarsen. which is rlly bad to retarding dislocation motion.)
Stabilisers and solution strengtheners for steel.
Mn - stabilises the gamma Austenite phase.
Cr - stabilises the alpha Ferrite phase.
Improving hardenability in steel.
Essentially, as martensite is quite hard, we want to form this easily and all the way to the centre of a thick component.
You can add Mo, Mn, Cr and Ni additions- these displace the TTT curves to longer times, enabling the martensite to form even at slow cooling rates.
Carbide forming additions in steel.
Certain elements in steel can form carbides - which are more thermodynamically stable than cementite. At high enough concentrations, these will be formed, and not cementite.
Ex: Cr, Mo, V, W and Ti.
What is homogenisation in Al alloys?
- Solution is solidified first.
- The alloy is heated to a temperature below the eutectic temperature and held for a long time.
This removes the laminar structure that was caused due to the eutectic phase.
What is the need for the precipitation sequence in Al2Cu?
When the solution has been quenched, there is a large driving force (because the undercooling is large). But there is very little thermal energy available for diffusion. And all the interfaces between Al2Cu and alpha would be incoherent so the nucleation of Al2Cu is difficult.
Precipitation sequence in Al-Cu
- Initial supersaturated solution of Cu in alpha.
- Cu atoms cluster to form Guinier-Preston Zones. They are disc shaped, the disc faces are fully coherent with alpha and the disc edges have coherency strain.
- GP zones act as nucleation sites for unstable beta’’. It is a tetragonal crystal. Disc faces are fully coherent, disc edges have coherency strain.
- Another unstable phase beta’ forms, nucleating at dislocations and grows at the expense of beta’’. Disc faces are fully coherent, but disc edges are incoherent.
- Eventually, beta-AlCu2 forms. It is a crystal with very different lattice parameters to alpha, and all interfaces are incoherent. Therefore, beta-AlCu2 grows are rounded particles.
When is the peak strength reached during the precipitation sequence?
At beta’’. This gives numerous, closely space particles throughout the alpha phase.
What to optimise for the upper wing?
Compressive strength
Stiffness.
What to optimise for the lower wing?
Tensile strength
Fatigue resistance.
Al alloy selection for wings of subsonic aircraft?
7xxx - upper.
2xxx - lower.
What to optimise for the fuselage?
- Axial tensile stress.
- Circumferential tensile stress.
- Fatigue critical.
What is the temperature limit for Al alloys?
Mach 1.8
Advantages of using Magnesium?
- Light structural metal.
- Precipitation hardenable
- Can have a good creep resistance.
Disadvantages of Magnesium?
- Low melting point (compared to Ti or Ni)
- Low stiffness
- HCP crystal structure (Dislocation slip only on (0001) planes at Room temp)
- Corrosion properties are okay.
Specific stiffness for struts?
Maximise E/rho.
Specific stiffness for beams?
Maximise E^0.5/rho
Specific stiffness for panels?
Maximise E^1/3 / rho.
Mg alloys : Mg-Al-Zn alloys
Solution heat treatment at 400degrees.
Quench
SSSS -> to Mg17Al12 directly.
Mg alloys : Mg - Y - Nd - Zr
Zr addition:
- Zr promotes nucleation of Mg grains of a mcuh smaller grain size. Good for grain boundary strengthening and retarding crack growth.
Creep resistance:
- Numerous, small B/ B’ precipitates are distributed evenly - which obstructs dislocation motion at elevated T.
- Ppts at grain boundaries, relatively stable at 250 - 300.
Inhibits grain boundary sliding at elevated T.