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Preparation of W-Cu composites by infiltration of w skeletons review
Matějíček, Jiří
Tungsten-copper composites feature high corrosion and erosion resistance, very good thermal and electrical conductivity, low thermal expansion and good mechanical properties. They are used in a variety of demanding applications, such as arc-resistant electrodes, high voltage electrical contacts, heat sinks for integrated circuits, etc. They are also foreseen for use in plasma-facing components of fusion reactors, e.g. as a transition layer between the (refractory) plasma-facing tungsten and the (highly conductive) copper-based cooling structure. In general, high density and good bonding of the tungsten and copper phases is desired. Molten copper infiltration into tungsten preforms is among the prospective fabrication technologies - the structure and properties of the resultant composites are dependent on the specific technological parameters. In this paper, the preparation of W-Cu composites by infiltration of W skeletons is reviewed and attention is paid to the influence of these particular parameters: infiltration temperature, time and atmosphere, tungsten preform porosity, orientation and chemistry (presence or absence of other elements). Optimum parameter combinations for achieving high density and proper bonding of copper and tungsten are identified.
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High temperature corrosion behaviour of nicr-based coatings applied by twin wire arc spray technology
Lencová, K. ; Vostřák, M. ; Naďová, J. ; Lukáč, František ; Mušálek, Radek
High temperature corrosion is a serious problem related to the combustion of heavy oils with high vanadium contents. Protective overlay coatings are used to allow functioning of engineering components under extreme conditions and provide corrosion resistance to extend the component life. This article is concerned with the high temperature corrosion behaviour of two protective NiCr-based coatings and bare structural steel 1.4959 (W.nr.) in a molten salt environment of 40% Na2SO4 and 60% V2O5 at 750 °C under cyclic condition. NiCr and NiCrMoNbTa coating was deposited on steel 1.4903 (W.nr.) by Twin wire arc spray technology (TWAS). To establish the kinetics of corrosion, the thermogravimetric technique was used. The X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) techniques were used to analyse the corrosion products and determine the corrosion mechanism. The hot corrosion resistance of both coatings was better than bare steel samples. The NiCrMoNbTa coating showed better corrosion behaviour than the NiCr coating. However, also the NiCr coating provides sufficient protection to the substrate material.
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Artifacts and errors in EBSD mapping of retained austenite in TRIP steel
Mikmeková, Šárka ; Jozefovič, Patrik ; Ambrož, Ondřej
The present work aims to demonstrate artifacts and errors in visualization of retained austenite phase in TRIP steel by an electron back-scattered diffraction (EBSD) technique. Retained austenite phases size and shape obtained by the EBSD are directly compared with a real image of these phases acquired by means of an atomic force microscopy (AFM). The effect of the step size parameter used for the EBSD analysis on the retained austenite phase fraction and morphology is discussed in detail and quantified. Surface roughness as a barrier for the imaging of fine features situated on a specimen surface is demonstrated.
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Apparatus for automatic chemical etching of metallographic samples
Ambrož, Ondřej ; Čermák, Jan ; Mikmeková, Šárka
The microstructure of steels after mechanical polishing is revealed only by the application of a suitable etchant. To achieve adequate optical or electron microscope images, the specimen surface must be free of any artifacts. Chemical etching can be defined as a controlled corrosion process. The metal of the investigated material passes as cations into the etchant solution during the chemical etching reaction. Chemical etching is usually performed manually either by immersing the sample in the etchant with simultaneous stirring or by swabbing with a lint-free cloth soaked in the etchant. It is also extremely important to debug the process of removing the sample from the bath and subsequent cleaning. It is recommended to wash the sample after removal from the etchant with water (distilled or demineralized) or alcohol (ethanol, methanol, or isopropyl alcohol) and dry it properly (depending on the etchant and the etched material). The main problem with these processes is the human factor, which significantly contributes to the already limited repeatability. All operation steps must be performed by properly trained personnel in the field of occupational safety because hazardous substances are handled. A high manual dexterity is also needed. Training a new employee is a long-term process. Moreover, keeping the exact etching time can be a challenge and one second can decide success. These problems become more serious in the case of using surface sensitive analytical method, such as a low energy scanning electron microscopy, due to the high spatial resolution and extreme surface sensitivity. We have developed an apparatus for automatic etching of metallographic samples of purpose to overcome all above-mentioned difficulties. The apparatus and results of the first experiments will be presented.
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