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On tungsten spraying using inductively coupled plasma system - First results
Klečka, Jakub ; Mušálek, Radek ; Vilémová, Monika ; Lukáč, František
Thanks to its unique properties such as high melting point and density, tungsten and tungsten-based alloys are commonly used in a wide range of applications. Among others, these materials are promising candidates for the plasma facing components in the future fusion reactors. One of considered ways of production of these parts is plasma spraying. There are however several limitations for conventional gas stabilized torches, mainly in plasma enthalpy (i.e. the ability to efficiently melt tungsten particles in considerable feed rates) and susceptibility of tungsten to oxidation (which complicates spraying in oxidizing open-air atmosphere). The radio frequency inductively coupled plasma torch (RF-ICP) is a unique system which can potentially overcome both these problems and can be used for efficient tungsten spraying. The tungsten powder, which can be finer than the one used for the conventional systems, is fed axially into the hot plasma core, both factors lead to a more efficient melting of the particles. The deposition is performed in a chamber with controlled atmosphere of inert gas or decreased pressure, the oxidation is therefore suppressed. In this first study carried out with the newly commissioned RF-ICP system TekSpray 15 (Tekna), samples of tungsten coatings on graphite substrates were prepared. The X-ray diffraction and SEM images of the free surfaces and cross-sections were obtained, documenting high purity of the deposits and appropriate flattening of the splats leading to a dense coating microstructure. The effect of substrate preheating on the microstructure, porosity and hardness was also studied.
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Thin nitride layers as permeation barriers
Veverka, Jakub ; Matějíček, Jiří ; Lukáč, František ; Pospíšil, D. ; Cvrček, L. ; Nemanič, V.
Permeation barriers represent one of the crucial fields in materials development for thermonuclear fusion. Primary objective of the barriers is to suppress the permeation of hydrogen isotopes (mainly tritium) from future thermonuclear fusion facilities. Secondary objective is to reduce their retention in structural materials. Expected reactor conditions put high demands on the material, as well as on the final barrier quality. Key properties are tritium permeation reduction, absence of defects (especially cracks), high-temperature stability and corrossion resistance, and compatibility with structural materials (mostly ferritic-martensitic steels). Thin nitride layers, identified as promising permeation barriers, were prepared by diffusion-based nitridation and physical vapour deposition (PVD), and characterized.
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Suspension plasma spraying of sub-stoichiometric titania by hybrid water/argon stabilized plasma torch
Mušálek, Radek ; Ctibor, Pavel ; Medřický, Jan ; Tesař, Tomáš ; Kotlan, Jiří ; Lukáč, František
In this study, suspension plasma spraying of sub-stoichiometric titania was attempted using hybrid water/argon stabilized plasma torch (WSP-H). Porous coatings with fine cauliflower-like columnar microstructure were successfully deposited in two separate experiments with different power levels of the plasma torch. In both cases, high solid-load content (40 wt. %) of the water-based suspension resulted in considerable coating thickness increase per deposition cycle. Coating annealing and partial remelting of the surface asperities were also achieved by additional pass of plasma torch in front of the coating surface. According to X-ray diffraction, all coatings consisted dominantly of rutile phase. Detailed microscopic observation of the as-sprayed and annealed deposits showed that the local coloration of the coating (ranging from dark blue to beige) was driven by the local overheating of the rough coating surface which could also promote the oxygen intake. Moreover, sample annealing was also observed to increase the sample reflectivity as observed by UV-VIS-NIR scanning spectrophotometry
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Preparation of spheroidized and nano-structural spinels by the SPPS method
Brožek, Vlastimil ; Lukáč, František ; Medřický, Jan ; Mušálek, Radek ; Mašláni, Alan ; Mastný, L. ; Brodil, R.
Solution Precursor Plasma Spraying (SPPS) method, using hybrid water-stabilised plasma torch (WSP®-H), is presented in this study. Precursor, in a form of a solution of inorganic salts, is injected into the plasma jet, where the temperature can reach up to 25 000 K and a series of reactions lead to the formation of spherical sub-micrometric sized particles. The complete process of evaporating the liquid, crystallization, thermic decomposition, melting and recrystallization takes place in few milliseconds before the particles solidify. Melted nanoparticles can be either directly collected in order to obtain ultrafine powders or deposited onto a substrate to form micro-splats and continuous polycrystalline, and often partially amorphous, coatings. The possibility of continuous and discontinuous changes of stoichiometric composition in tetrahedral and octahedral configurations were analysed for the deposits of MgAl2O4, CoAl2O4 and CoFe2O4 spinels. Furthermore, thin colourful coatings of ruby and modified cobalt oxides were deposited onto ceramic and metallic substrates.
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Investigation of vacancies in Fe-Al alloys
Lukáč, František ; Čížek, Jakub (advisor) ; Král, Robert (referee) ; Schneeweiss, Oldřich (referee)
Title: Investigation of vacancies in Fe-Al alloys Author: RNDr. František Lukáč Department: Department of Low Temperature Physics Supervisor: doc. Mgr. Jakub Čížek, Ph.D., Department of Low Temperature Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics Abstract: Fe-Al alloys exhibit relatively high vacancy concentrations, which significantly influence the mechanical properties of these alloys. Positron annihi- lation spectroscopy was employed for investigations of vacancies in this work and the vacancy concentrations in Fe-Al alloys were determined by positron lifetime spectroscopy and measurements of positron diffusion length of implanted mono- genergetic positrons. The correlation of hardness with the vacancy concentration was characterized by determination of the vacancy hardening coefficient in Fe- Al alloys. The thermal evolutions of hardness and the vacancy concentration were compared during the annealing of the Fe-Al alloys with various composi- tions. Coincidence Doppler broadening of annihilation peak was employed for determination of the chemical composition of quenched-in vacancies in Fe-Al al- loys. Increased concentration of Al atoms in surrounding vacancies in Fe-Al alloys was related to the attractive interaction between the Al atoms and the vacancy. Quantum mechanical ab initio calculations were...
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Investigation of defects in Fe3Al - based alloys by positron annihilation spectroscopy
Lukáč, František
The correlation of vacancy concentration with microhardness of Fe-Al alloys was studied on samples quenched from 1000 řC and subsequently annealed at lower temperatures. Using X-ray diffraction the lattice parameter and crystal structure were determined for samples of Fe-Al alloys. By measurements of positron lifetime was revealed the high concentration of vacancies in quenched samples and subsequent annealing caused significant decrease in vacancy concentration while in samples with Al content above 39% also the decrease of microhardness was measured. Measurements of coincidence Doppler broadening of annihilation peak helped to distinguish the annihilations coming from positron trapped or delocalized annihilated by electrons of both atoms, Fe and Al. Comparison of measured results with theoretical quantum-mechanics calculations performed in this diploma thesis determined the most probable defect type as a vacancy on A-sublatice of B2 structure.
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Studium defektů ve slitinách na bázi Fe3Al metodou pozitronové anihilační spektroskopie
Lukáč, František ; Čížek, Jakub (advisor) ; Jirásková, Yvona (referee)
The correlation of vacancy concentration with microhardness of Fe-Al alloys was studied on samples quenched from 1000 řC and subsequently annealed at lower temperatures. Using X-ray diffraction the lattice parameter and crystal structure were determined for samples of Fe-Al alloys. By measurements of positron lifetime was revealed the high concentration of vacancies in quenched samples and subsequent annealing caused significant decrease in vacancy concentration while in samples with Al content above 39% also the decrease of microhardness was measured. Measurements of coincidence Doppler broadening of annihilation peak helped to distinguish the annihilations coming from positron trapped or delocalized annihilated by electrons of both atoms, Fe and Al. Comparison of measured results with theoretical quantum-mechanics calculations performed in this diploma thesis determined the most probable defect type as a vacancy on A-sublatice of B2 structure.
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THE INVESTIGATION OF AN Al7075 ALLOY PREPARED BY SPARK PLASMA SINTERING OF MILLED POWDERS
Molnárová, O. ; Málek, P. ; Nemeth, G. ; Kozlík, J. ; Lukáč, František ; Chráska, Tomáš ; Cinert, Jakub
Atomized powder of an Al7075 alloy was high energy ball milled at room and cryogenic temperatures and compacted by spark plasma sintering (SPS) method. The influence of processing parameters on phase composition and microstructure was studied by X-ray diffraction, light and scanning electron microscopy. The mechanical properties were characterized by microhardness measurements. The atomized powder contained a large volume fraction of intermetallic phases located predominantly in continuous layers separating cells or dendrites in the interior of individual powder particles. Consolidation by SPS destroyed partially this morphology and replaced it by individual particles located at boundaries of original powder particles, at cell boundaries or arranged in chains in previous dendritic regions. High energy milling destroyed most intermetallic particles and enriched the matrix by solute atoms. The high deformation energy introduced into the powder during milling enhanced microhardness up to 220 HV. Consolidation of milled powders by SPS led to the formation of very fine-grained structure with the grain size even below 1 μm and with the fraction of high-angle boundaries about 0.9. Two main types of heterogeneously distributed precipitates were found. The irregularly shaped precipitates with a size about 1 μm seemed to encompass areas with rod like nano-precipitates in most samples. A drop in microhardness to 118HV was observed after SPS, predominantly due to a release of introduced deformation energy.
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