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Engineering topics

An, Ke

Publications and source records attributed to An, Ke.

At least 109 records · Page 6
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2018

A suite-level review of the neutron powder diffraction instruments at Oak Ridge National Laboratory

The suite of neutron powder diffractometers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) utilizes the distinct characteristics of the Spallation Neutron Source and High Flux Isotope Reactor to enable the measurements of powder samples over an unparalleled regime at a single laboratory. Full refinements over large Q ranges, total scattering methods, fast measurements under changing conditions, and a wide array of sample environments are available. Here, this article provides a brief overview of each powder instrument at ORNL and details the complementarity across the suite. Future directions for the powder suite, including upgrades and new instruments, are also discussed.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2018

Understanding Structure–Activity Relationships in Sr 1– x Y x CoO 3–δ through in Situ Neutron Diffraction and Electrochemical Measurements

In this study, we report a systematic study on temperature-dependent local structural evolution, oxygen stoichiometry, and electrochemical properties of an oxygen-deficient perovskite Sr 0.7 Y 0.3 CoO 3–δ (SYC30) for oxygen electrocatalysis. The obtained results are then closely compared with its analogue Sr 0.9 Y 0.1 CoO 3–δ (SYC10) of different crystal structures to establish structure–activity relationships. The comparison shows that both SYC30 and SYC10 consist of alternate layers of oxygen-deficient Co1-polyhedra and oxygen-saturated Co2-octahedra with Co1-polyhedra being responsible for V o •• migration. It is also found that the distribution and concentration of oxygen vacancies within the Co1-layer are, respectively, less symmetrical and lower in SYC30 than those in SYC10, making the former unfavorable for oxygen transport. A molecular orbital energy analysis reveals that the energy gap between Fermi level and O 2p level in the active Co1-polyhedra is larger in SYC30 than that in SYC10, further suggesting that SYC10 is a better oxide-ion conductor and thus a better electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction, which is unambiguously confirmed by the subsequent electrochemical measurements.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

RHEGAL: Resistive heating gas enclosure loadframe for in situ neutron scattering

In situ neutron scattering is a powerful tool to reveal materials atomic structural response such as phase transformation, lattice straining, and texture under external stimuli. The advent of a high flux neutron source such as the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) allows fast measurement in even non-equilibrium conditions, i.e., phase transformation in steels. However, the commercial fast heating apparatus such as commercial physical simulation equipment is not designed for in situ neutron scattering, which limits its application to in situ materials research by using neutrons. Here we present a resistive heating gas enclosure loadframe (RHEGAL) for non-equilibrium phase transformation studies by using in situ neutron scattering, which takes the advantage of high flux neutron sources like SNS. RHEGAL enables fast resistive heating of metal samples to 1200 °C at a rate up to 60 °C/s in an inert atmosphere. It provides both horizontal and vertical positions for scattering optimization. The mechanical loading capability also allows in situ high temperature tension above the oxidation temperature limit. The optimized translucent neutron scattering window by silicon allows both reflection and transmission measurements, making this equipment applicable for neutron diffraction, small angle scattering, and imaging. Furthermore, to demonstrate the fast heating capability, the phase transformations of an example of advanced high strength steel heated at 3 °C/s and 30 °C/s were measured with the VULCAN engineering diffractometer, and the different phase transformation kinetics by neutron diffraction were presented.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2018

Damage Precursor Assessment in Aerospace Structural Materials

The focus of this study was to apply a robust inspection technique for monitoring damage nucleation and propagation in 7075 aluminum alloy specimens exposed to cyclic loading. A previously developed specimen, linearly tapered in width along the length, was subjected to a sinusoidal tension-tension load while conductivity and strain were measured in-situ. Ex-situ measurements of modulus, hardness, surface potential, digital image correlation strain field, and neutron diffraction were made as a function of fatigue cycles. It is hypothesized that varying levels of induced stress along the length due to equal-force but varying area along the length will create a record of damage which can be probed to intuit a temporal history for the specimen. Baseline, intermediate, and failure sensor measurements for several specimens were compared and analyzed as a function of applied stress (varied linearly along the length) and fatigue cycles (constant). Mechanisms of damage nucleation and propagation due to fatigue cycling are discussed with an emphasis on which inspection methods are most promising for improving structural durability and state monitoring.

Cole, Daniel↗
DOE OSTI2018

Tracing Phase Transformation and Lattice Evolution in a TRIP Sheet Steel under High-Temperature Annealing by Real-Time In Situ Neutron Diffraction

Real-time in situ neutron diffraction was used to characterize the crystal structure evolution in a transformation-induced plasticity (TRIP) sheet steel during annealing up to 1000 °C and then cooling to 60 °C. Based on the results of full-pattern Rietveld refinement, critical temperature regions were determined in which the transformations of retained austenite to ferrite and ferrite to high-temperature austenite during heating and the transformation of austenite to ferrite during cooling occurred, respectively. The phase-specific lattice variation with temperature was further analyzed to comprehensively understand the role of carbon diffusion in accordance with phase transformation, which also shed light on the determination of internal stress in retained austenite. These results prove the technique of real-time in situ neutron diffraction as a powerful tool for heat treatment design of novel metallic materials.

Yu, Dunji↗
DOE OSTI2018

Lattice distortion in a strong and ductile refractory high-entropy alloy

Here, the maximization of the mixing entropy with the optimal range of enthalpy in high-entropy alloys (HEAs) can promote the formation of a stable single solid-solution phase with the absence of competing intermetallic compounds. The resultant effects, such as lattice distortion, can contribute to excellent mechanical properties, which has motivated numerous efforts to develop and design single-phase HEAs. However, challenges still remain, particularly on quantifying the lattice distortion and relating it to materials properties. In this study, we have developed a NbTaTiV refractory HEA with a single body-centered-cubic (BCC) structure using an integrated experimental and theoretical approach. The theoretical efforts include thermodynamic modeling, i.e., CALculation of PHAse Diagram (CALPHAD). The microstructural evolutions have been investigated by systematic heat-treatment processes. The typical dendrite microstructure was observed, which is caused by the elemental segregation during the solidification in the as-cast condition. The structural inhomogeneity and chemical segregation were completely eliminated by the proper homogenization treatment at 1200 °C for 3 days. The homogeneous elemental distribution was quantitatively verified by the Atom Probe Tomography (APT) technique. Importantly, results indicate that this HEA exhibits the high yield strength and ductility at both room and high temperatures (up to 900 °C). Furthermore, the effects of the high mixing entropy on the mechanical properties are discussed and quantified in terms of lattice distortions and interatomic interactions of the NbTaTiV HEA via first-principles calculations. It is found that the local severe lattice distortions are induced, due to the atomic interactions and atomic-size mismatch in the homogenization-treated NbTaTiV refractory HEA.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

In situ neutron diffraction study on tensile deformation behavior of carbon-strengthened CoCrFeMnNi high-entropy alloys at room and elevated temperatures

In this paper, carbon is doped into a CoCrFeMnNi high-entropy alloy as an interstitial atom, improving the single phase solid solution alloy with a good combination of strength and ductility at room temperature by introducing deformation twins. In situ neutron diffraction (ND) is applied to investigate the carbon-doped CoCrFeMnNi deformation mechanism and micromechanical behaviors during uniaxial tension at room and elevated temperatures. With in situ results accompanied with the microstructure and texture measurement, it is found that the plastic deformation is dominated by dislocation slip at an early stage at both temperatures. However, at high strain level, deformation is mediated simultaneously by deformation twins and microbands at room temperature, while it is governed solely by microbands at elevated temperature of 573 K. The evolution of lattice strain, peak intensity, and peak width from in situ ND elucidates the micromechanical behaviors regarding the role of slips and twins. Finally, the texture represented by orientation distribution function indicates that the initial specimen possesses a relatively strong {112} <110> texture component, and the room-temperature tension deformed texture comprises of slip-induced fiber texture and twinning-induced {115} <552> texture component.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

PIND: High spatial resolution by pinhole neutron diffraction

Here, a pinhole neutron diffraction (PIND) technique was developed to enable improving the spatial resolution down to 250 μm. Instead of the conventional engineering diffraction method which integrates all the diffraction signals on the detector plane, the PIND setup utilizes the diffraction pattern of each pixel on 2D detectors. The proposed PIND arrangement enables improving the spatial resolution of time-of-flight instruments and allows solving problems involving steep gradients of strain or texture. The phase content and preferential orientation of grains inside samples can be spatially resolved in 2D/3D. Further, PIND retains the capability of in-situ non-destructive neutron diffraction mapping of lattice strain and grain orientation under external stimuli such as temperature and force.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2018

An in situ neutron diffraction study of plastic deformation in a Cu 46.5 Zr 46.5 Al 7 bulk metallic glass composite

Micro-mechanical behaviors of a Cu 46.5 Zr 46.5 Al 7 bulk metallic glass composite in the plastic regime were investigated by continuous in situ neutron diffraction during compression. Three stages of the plastic deformation were observed according to the work-hardening rate. Here, the underlying natures of the work hardening, correlating with the lattice/microscopic strain evolution, are revealed for the three stages: (1) the initiation of shear bands, (2) the phase load transferring from the amorphous phase to the B2 phase and (3) the accelerated martensitic transformation and the work hardening of the polycrystalline phases promoted by the rapid propagation of the shear bands.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Event-based processing of neutron scattering data at the Spallation Neutron Source

Here, the Spallation Neutron Source at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, USA, ushered in a new era of neutron scattering experiments through the use of event-based data. Tagging each neutron event allows pump–probe experiments, measurements with a parameter asynchronous to the source, measurements with continuously varying parameters and novel ways of testing instrument components. This contribution will focus on a few examples. A pulsed magnet has been used to study diffraction under extreme fields. Continuous ramping of temperature is becoming standard on the POWGEN diffractometer. Battery degradation and phase transformations under heat and stress are often studied on the VULCAN diffractometer. Supercooled Al 2 O 3 was studied on NOMAD. A study of a metallic glass through its glass transition was performed on the ARCS spectrometer, and the effect of source variation on chopper stability was studied for the SEQUOIA spectrometer. Besides a summary of these examples, an overview is provided of the hardware and software advances to enable these and many other event-based measurements.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2018

Real-Time In Situ Neutron Diffraction Investigation of Phase-Specific Load Sharing in a Cold-Rolled TRIP Sheet Steel

Real-time in situ neutron diffraction was used to investigate the loading-direction dependence of phase-specific load sharing in a cold-rolled TRIP 780 sheet steel under tension at room temperature. A slightly lower yield stress and relatively faster initial strain hardening were observed for the tension along the rolling direction (RD), than those along the transverse direction (TD) and the diagonal direction (DD). In all three loading directions, the redistribution of inter-phase and inter-granular load sharing occurs upon the yields of the BCC matrix and the FCC phase. The FCC phase is found to yield earlier along the RD than those along the TD and DD. Based on the Hooke’s law and the rule of mixture, it is found that the lattice strains of BCC-(211)/FCC-(311) reflections via single peak fit are better representative of phase elastic strains than the strains calculated via the lattice parameters by Rietveld refinement. The quantitative evolution of phase-specific stress indicates a rapid strain hardening in the FCC phase after yielding during the RD tension. Possible mechanisms of the direction-dependent phase-specific load sharing are discussed in association with the different initial textures in the RD, DD and TD.

Yu, Dunji↗
DOE OSTI2018

Probing the electrolyte infiltration behaviour of activated carbon supercapacitor electrodes by in situ neutron scattering using aqueous NaCl as electrolyte

In situ contrast-matched neutron scattering was used to probe the electrolyte infiltration behavior of activated supercapacitor carbon electrodes using an aquoeus 1 M NaCl solution. It was found that only about 20% of the pore volume was infiltrated at chemical equilibrium. The partial infiltration can be attributed to the co-existence of hydrophilic and hydrophilic pores. As a result, the study suggests that for the achievement of optimal capacitance, supercapacitor electrodes should be evacuated before electrolyte infiltration.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2018

Neutron Residual Stress Mapping for Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage Canister Weldment

Many radioactive materials within the nuclear fuel cycle present a significant hazard. Such materials include spent nuclear fuel, high-level waste, legacy waste and other nuclear materials that have no current outlet than storage. These materials are often held in long-term storage as an interim stage within their lifecycle. Lifecycles can include reuse or disposal. Safety and security of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) interim storage installations are very important, due to a great concentration of fission products, actinides and activation products. Stress corrosion cracking of interim storage containers has been identified as a high priority data gap by the Department of Energy. However, little has been done with regards to the canister weld material properties and their impact on stress corrosion, until recently from Sandia National Laboratory canister mockup program. Furthermore, because no post-weld heat treatment was required, the associated high tensile residual stress within these canister welds can drive the initiation and growth of stress corrosion cracking (SCC) cracks. In this work, we carried out in-situ neutron residual stress mapping on a weld plate sectioned from Sandia mock-up canister wall. Significant residual stress profiles were identified from the received longitudinal weld sample. The details of the weldment residual stress program development at ORNL are presented in this progress report. The generated residual stress profile from neutron diffraction technique is similar to that of Sandia residual stress data obtained from the deep hole drilling approach.

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

In-situ neutron diffraction investigation on twinning/detwinning activities during tension-compression load reversal in a twinning induced plasticity steel

The tension-compression type of load reversal produces an asymmetric cyclic tension-compression behavior and varied yielding stresses in the subsequent monotonic tension and compression in a twinning induced plasticity steel. The micromechanical behavior was elucidated via the evolutions of the stacking fault probability and the grain orientation density captured by in-situ neutron diffraction. The latter indicates more profound detwinning activities in a reversal from tension to compression than those from compression to tension and more twinning involves in monotonic tension than in compression. In conclusion, this is confirmed by the calculated twinning activities in monotonic tension and compression using the visco-plastic self-consistent model.

TWIP↗
DOE OSTI2018

Residual Stress Distribution in a Hydroformed Advanced High Strength Steel Component: Neutron Diffraction Measurements and Finite Element Simulations

Today’s automotive industry is witnessing increasing applications of advanced high strength steels (AHSS) combined with innovative manufacturing techniques to satisfy fuel economy requirements of stringent environmental regulations. The integration of AHSS in novel automotive structure design has introduced huge advantages in mass reduction while maintaining their structural performances, yet several concerns have been raised for this relatively new family of steels. One of those concerns is their potentially high springback after forming, which can lead to geometrical deviation of the final product from its designed geometry and cause difficulties during assembly. From the perspective of accurate prediction, control and compensation of springback, further understanding on the effect of residual stress in AHSS parts is urged. In this work, the residual stress distribution in a 980GEN3 steel part after hydroforming is investigated via experimental and numerical approaches. A non-destructive neutron diffraction technique is adopted to reveal the residual stress profiles across a 94-degree tube bending radius section of the hydroformed part. The finite element analysis (FEA) is also conducted to simulate the hydroforming and the subsequent unloading processes to predict the residual stress distribution within the same region. The correlation between experimental and simulation results is presented and the effectiveness of the FEA model for residual stress prediction is discussed. Findings in this study set the basis for springback analysis with improved accuracy and reliability.

Huang, Lu↗
DOE OSTI2018

Applying neutron transmission physics and 3D statistical full-field model to understand 2D Bragg-edge imaging

Bragg-edge imaging, which is also known as neutron radiography, has recently emerged as a novel crystalline characterization technique. Modelling of this novel technique by incorporating various features of the underlying microstructure (including the crystallographic texture, the morphological texture, and the grain size) of the material remains a subject of considerable research and development. In this paper, Inconel 718 samples made by additive manufacturing were investigated by neutron diffraction and neutron radiography techniques. The specimen features strong morphological and crystallographic textures and a highly heterogeneous microstructure. A 3D statistical full-field model is introduced by taking details of the microstructure into account to understand the experimental neutron radiography results. The Bragg-edge imaging and the total cross section were calculated based on the neutron transmission physics. A good match was obtained between the model predictions and experimental results at different incident beam angles with respect to the sample build direction. The current theoretical approach has the ability to incorporate 3D spatially resolved microstructural heterogeneity information and shows promise in understanding the 2D neutron radiography of bulk samples. With further development to incorporate the heterogeneity in lattice strain in the model, it can be used as a powerful tool in the future to better understand the neutron radiography data.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2018

Identifying the chemical and structural irreversibility in LiNi 0.8 Co 0.15 Al 0.05 O 2 – a model compound for classical layered intercalation

In this work, we extracted 95% of the electrochemically available Li from LiNi 0.8 Co 0.15 Al 0.05 O 2 (NCA) by galvanostatically charging the NCA/MCMB full cell to 4.7 V. Joint powder X-ray and neutron diffraction (XRD & ND) studies were undertaken for NCA at highly charged states at the first cycle, and discharged states at different cycles. The results indicate that the bulk structure of NCA maintains the O3 structure up to the extraction of 0.90 Li per formula unit. In addition, we found that the transition metal layer becomes more disordered along the c-axis than along the a- and b-axes upon charging. This anisotropic disorder starts to develop no later than 4.3 V on charge and continues to grow until the end of charge. As Li is re-inserted during discharge, the structure that resembles the pristine NCA is recovered. The irreversible loss of Li and the migration of Ni to the Li layer have been quantified by the joint XRD and ND refinement and the results were further verified by solid state 7 Li NMR and magnetic measurements. Thus, our work clearly demonstrates that the NCA bulk retains a robust, single phase O3 structure throughout the wide delithiation range (up to 0.9 Li per formula unit of NCA) and is suitable for higher energy density usage with proper modifications.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗