Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “microstructure simulation”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 343 records · Page 19
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

Latent Pitfalls in Microstructure-Based Modeling for Thermally Aged 9Cr-1Mo-V Steel (Grade 91)

A case study was conducted on a mechanistic model development that predicted tensile strength deterioration with thermal aging of 9Cr-1Mo-V steel in supporting the 60-year design life expected for advanced nuclear reactors. For property prediction beyond practical testing times, mechanistic modeling is highly desired, as it taps into the physics of structure–property relationships and therefore can generate reliable results for extrapolation. Meanwhile, as mechanistic models are often complicated, reflecting the intricacy of microstructure and strengthening mechanisms, pitfalls that are difficult to detect often exist. Here, this paper discusses latent pitfalls that are common in mechanistic modeling or specific in this 9Cr-1Mo-V case development through using the American Society of Mechanical Engineers verification and validation in computational solid mechanics (ASME V&V 10) standard for evaluating credibility of modeling in materials engineering. Suggestions are also made for enhancing reliability of microstructure-based modeling.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

High-Throughput Ion Irradiation and Microstructural Characterization of Multi-Principal-Element Alloys

Multi-principal-element alloys (MPEAs) have garnered interest in the nuclear community for their apparent resistance to microstructural damage under irradiation. While both experimentation and simulation have demonstrated reduced hardening and void swelling in MPEAs, the relationship between composition and irradiation response is still poorly understood since a rich experimental database for MPEAs does not yet exist. In this work, to accelerate the generation of experimental irradiation-response data for MPEAs, high-throughput synthesis, irradiation, and characterization techniques have been employed. Specifically, additive manufacturing has been used to produce arrays of various MPEAs (1-cm2 coupons), which have been subsequently irradiated using 4-MeV Ni2+ ions to a peak damage of 200 dpa at 500 °C. Hardening and void swelling have been assessed using nanoindentation and trenching via plasma focused ion beam (PFIB), respectively. Trends in the experimental data relating hardening and void swelling behavior to composition have been analyzed using different machine learning approaches.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Helium causing disappearance of a/2<111> dislocation loops in binary Fe-Cr ferritic alloys

In this work, single and dual-beam self-ion irradiations were performed at 500°C on ultra-high purity Fe14%Cr alloy to ~0.33 displacements-per-atom (dpa), and 0 or 3030 atomic-parts-per-million (appm) helium/dpa, respectively. Using transmission electron microscopy, we reveal that helium can drastically modify the dislocation loop Burgers vector in Fe-Cr alloys. Helium co-implantation caused complete disappearance of a/2<111> type dislocation loops, and the microstructure consisted of only a<100> loops. Conversely, a/2<111> type loops were predominant without He co-implantation. The total loop density remained largely unaffected. The results strikingly contrast literature asserting that helium stabilizes a/2<111> type loops in bcc Fe alloys, based on low temperature irradiations. Collectively analyzing the results with literature suggest that the small positive interaction between helium and self-interstitial atoms (SIA) in Fe predicted by atomistic simulations maybe insufficient to holistically explain the dislocation loop microstructure development in presence of helium. Helium-SIA positive binding inadvertently implies elevated a/2<111> loop fraction and higher loop densities that the present results contradict. Helium induced high cavity density causing a preferential loss of highly glissile <111> clusters, leaving the matrix saturated with <100> type clusters is proposed as a potential mechanism. Further, the in-situ irradiations combined with Burgers vector analysis strengthened the evidence of Cr-induced dislocation loop mobility reduction that appears to stabilize the a/2<111> type loops and causes higher loop densities in Fe-Cr alloys.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Smoothed boundary method for simulating incompressible flow in complex geometries

Simulating flow through porous media with explicit considerations of complex microstructures is very challenging using conventional sharp-interface methods because of the difficulties in generating meshes conformal to complex geometries. In this work, a diffuse interface embedded boundary method known as the Smoothed Boundary Method (SBM) is utilized to facilitate simulations of fluid dynamics involving complex geometries. In diffuse-interface methods, the geometry is described by a domain parameter. The SBM allows the straightforward reformulation of the time-dependent Navier-Stokes equations in terms of this domain parameter, using only algebraic identities. Thus, enforcing the appropriate boundary conditions at the irregular embedded boundary is greatly simplified. Adaptive mesh refinement is used to increase the accuracy of the diffuse interface method by allowing thinner interfacial thickness to be used in the domain parameter. Here, the SBM-formulated Navier-Stokes equations are solved with the Finite Difference Method on refined mesh systems. Sharp-interface Finite Element Method simulations using the commercial software COMSOL on body-conforming meshes are also provided for comparison. Favorable agreement between the two methods is observed. Since it is no longer necessary for the mesh to conform to the complex geometry, the grid system for the SBM simulations can be generated rapidly and without additional manual interventions, making the entire simulation process more expedient.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Precipitation-site competition in duplex stainless steels: Cu clusters vs spinodal decomposition interfaces as nucleation sites during thermal aging

Competing microstructural evolution mechanisms can exist simultaneously when duplex stainless steels are operating for several decades in a high temperature service environment. Such competition between different microstructural evolution pathways can be difficult to ascertain using simple model alloy systems necessitating detailed structural and compositional analysis of phase transformation mechanisms in complex alloys Thus, in this study duplex stainless steels with complex but well understood chemistries were used to investigate the relative importance of different heterogeneous nucleation sites – specifically spinodal decomposition and Cu clustering – on precipitation of Ni-Si-Mn particles during long term thermal aging. Precipitation of Ni-Si-Mn particles in duplex stainless steels and ferritic steels during thermal aging and irradiation is known to have profound effect on mechanical properties. Using duplex stainless steels with custom modified compositions along with atom probe tomography characterization and first-passage kinetic Monte Carlo (FPKMC) simulations it is revealed that while the interface between Cr and Fe formed during spinodal decomposition can be a pathway for diffusion of Ni, Si, Mn, and Cu, it is not a site that encourages precipitation of Ni-Si-Mn rich particles. Instead, the presence of a higher concentration of Cu in these steels leads to formation of small Cu clusters with high energy interfaces that act as nucleation sites for Ni-Si-Mn particles because of its strong interaction particularly with Ni increasing the chemical driving force for precipitation. These results will help inform predictive models for the use of duplex stainless steels and other precipitation-hardened alloys for extended operation at high temperatures.

Duplex stainless steel, Thermal aging, Precipitati↗
DOE OSTI2021

Novel Mechanisms for the Formation of Dislocation Cell Patterns in BCC Metal

In this study, we present the first simulation results of the formation of dislocation cell wall microstructures in tantalum subjected to shock loading. Dislocation patterns and cell wall formation are important to understanding the mechanical properties of the materials in which they spontaneously arise, and yet the processing and self-assembly mechanisms leading to their formation are poorly understood. By employing transmission electron microscopy and discrete dislocation dynamics, we propose a new mechanism involving coplanar dislocations and pseudo-dipole mixed dislocation arrays that is essential to the pattern formation process. Our large-scale 3D DDD simulations demonstrate the self-organization of dislocation networks into cell walls in deformed BCC metal (tantalum) persisting at strain ε = 20%. The simulation analysis captures several crucial aspects of how the dislocation cell pattern affects metal plasticity, as observed in experiments. Although experimental evidence is inconclusive regarding whether cell wall formation takes place at the shock front, after the shock, during release, or when the sample has had enough time to relax post-recovery, our simulations indicate cell wall formation occurs after the shock and before release. The extended Taylor hardening composite model effectively considers the non-uniform dislocation density when cell walls form and accurately describes the corresponding flow stress.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Designs and Modeling of Architect Multi-material Scintillator System

We present a new conceptual radiation detector, the Architected Multimaterial Scintillator System, that utilizes a scintillator composed of multiple materials arranged in architected structures to enable new capabilities. By structuring differently-dyed materials, the wavelength of the scintillation light encodes additional information in radiation measurements. These structures can be realized through additive manufacture (3D-printing). Two classes of this concept are described and modelled using Monte Carlo simulations to evaluate their performance. The first detector design uses dye microstructures to encode particle tracking information, allowing for directional neutron detection and gamma/neutron discrimination. The second design uses a dye gradient to indicate the position of radiation along the gradient. The simulation results indicate this new concept in radiation detection can achieve strong performance in a variety of capabilities including particle identification, directionality and spectroscopy measurements, and particle position reconstruction.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Holistic Microstructure Control Strategies in Photopolymerization‐Induced Phase Separation of Acrylate Systems

Open porous materials, known for their large surface area and interconnected structures, are essential in various applications, including batteries, ion exchange, catalysis, filtration, and electronic waste recycling. A critical aspect of the functionality of porous membranes is the precise control of pore size and morphology. Photopolymerization-induced phase separation (photo-PIPS) offers a convenient and versatile methods for creating porous structures. However, controlling the porous morphology remains challenging due to the complex interplay between thermodynamics, polymerization kinetics, and monomer structures, which makes it difficult to establish the relationship between processing conditions and resulting morphology in photo-PIPS. Herein, a physics-based phase-field model capable of generating and characterizing the microstructures of porous materials based on both average and localized features is developed. Using the phase-field simulations as test bed, the effects of polarity, light intensity, and curing temperature, as well as the previously unexplored roles of chain transfer agents and substrates, on the morphology of the resulting porous microstructure are investigated. Experiments are performed to verify the results predicted by the simulations. This work lays out a comprehensive guide for designing PIPS-derived porous microstructures and offers practical engineering strategies for tailoring microstructure-level topology and size of pores for application-specific needs.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Investigation of residual stress distribution in wire-arc directed energy deposited refractory molybdenum alloy utilizing numerical thermo-mechanical analysis and neutron diffraction method

Directed energy deposition (DED), a metal additive manufacturing (AM) technique, offers higher deposition rates and energy efficiency, making it suitable for fabricating components from refractory molybdenum alloys, such as molybdenum-titanium-zirconium (TZM). However, large thermal gradients and non-equilibrium thermal cycles in DED could generate high residual stress in the component, potentially deteriorating quality and performance. Thus, this study aims to investigate residual stress generation and its distribution in wire-arc DED of TZM thin-wall, utilizing thermo-mechanical analysis and high-fidelity neutron diffraction (ND) method. Two interpass temperatures (50°C and 200°C) have been considered to investigate their impact on residual stress formation. During experiments, in-situ thermal data has been recorded using thermocouples, which have been utilized for calibrating the thermal model. Thermocouple data shows a good agreement with the simulation results, having a difference of less than 10 %. Post-deposition part deformation has been observed, which is measured using a coordinate measuring machine, showing maximum values of 0.93 mm and 0.78 mm for interpass temperatures of 50°C and 200°C, respectively. Numerical predictions of distortion deviated by less than 15% from the experimental results. ND measurement and simulation results indicate that residual stress magnitude and evolution vary across the TZM deposits, revealing microstructural anisotropy in both conditions. Notably, lower interpass temperatures resulted in higher residual stresses, confirmed by experimental and simulation data. Further, this study demonstrated that an integrated experimental and thermo-mechanical analysis can potentially reveal the temperature history, part deformation, and residual stress formation in wire-arc DED TZM alloy.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Structure and mechanical properties of grain boundaries in molybdenum disulfide (MoS 2 )

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS 2 ) is a two-dimensional material widely used as a lubricant in many applications involving mechanical loading under a wide range of operating temperatures. Since many synthesis and processing techniques yield MoS 2 in its polycrystalline form, establishing grain boundary (GB) structure–property relations is key to designing MoS 2 microstructures with tailored properties. Here, we employ classical, reactive atomistic simulations to investigate the structure and mechanical behavior of a wide range of GBs in MoS 2 as a function of temperature. Using a bicrystal MoS 2 geometry, we characterize the atomic structure and calculate the energy of several low-angle GBs. Then, we simulate the tensile deformation behavior of MoS 2 bicrystals at several temperatures. Our results reveal that at temperatures above 100 K, the deformation of MoS 2 bicrystals is characterized by the nucleation of shear bands from GBs that grow, with subsequent loading, into the MoS 2 crystals. At low temperatures, the tensile deformation is characterized by the nucleation and propagation of deformation fronts, resulting in altered bond angles and bond lengths. Quantitative analysis reveals a decrease in the ultimate tensile stress and ultimate failure strain of MoS 2 bicrystals with the increase in temperature. Furthermore, our simulations of the mechanical behavior of metastable GBs reveal that the strength and ductility decrease with the increase in energy of these boundary structures. In broad terms, our work provides future avenues to employ GB engineering as a strategy to tailor the properties of MoS 2 microstructures.

Moore, Robert D. [Lehigh Univ., Bethlehem, PA (Uni↗
DOE OSTI2025

Mesoscale Modeling of Dislocation Cell Structure Evolution and Radiation-Induced Segregation in Additively Manufactured Austenitic Stainless Steel

Structural alloys under irradiation develop radiation-induced segregation (RIS) at point defect sinks, which lead to undesired changes in the alloy's properties. Additively manufactured austenitic stainless steels are expected to yield a distinct response to irradiation damage owing to their unique as-printed dislocation cell structure. In this talk, we present the development of a mesoscale model for dislocation cell structure evolution coupled with RIS using the MOOSE framework. The evolution of network dislocations within spatially distinct cells and cell walls are modeled using climb-mediated edge annihilation and generation processes. Starting with initial microstructures of as-printed non-equilibrium segregations at dislocation cell walls, our 2D and 3D simulations explore the effects of irradiation temperature, dose rate, dislocation sink bias, and specimen thickness on microstructure evolution. The results will be compared against experimental characterizations of in-situ and ex-situ ion-irradiated samples, and the implications of evolving cell structure on irradiation damage response will be discussed.

additive manufacturing↗
DOE OSTI2025

Mobility assessment of the BCC and carbide phases in the C-Nb, C-U and Nb-U systems

Uranium carbides with refractory metal additions are considered for Gen IV nuclear reactors and nuclear thermal propulsion as fuels for their high-temperature and corrosion resistant properties. Understanding kinetic effects that dictate microstructural evolution during fabrication and operating conditions is essential to advance technological development of these fuels. This work presents the development of an atomic mobility database for C-Nb-U systems based off available experimental data supported with ab-initio methods. The mobility assessments and uncertainty quantification (using Markov chain Monte Carlo) were conducted in the Kawin software. Carbon diffusion is considered dominant, as metal diffusion is much slower, with niobium diffusion being even slower and rate limiting than uranium metal. We provide a comprehensive and self-consistent thermo-kinetic database that is validated by diffusion couple simulations through Kawin. In conclusion, this enables prediction of microstructural and phase evolution critical for the development and lifetime assessment of next generation nuclear fuels.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Inverse design of hypoeutectoid pearlite steel microstructures using a deep learning and genetic algorithm optimization framework

Goal-oriented microstructure design in metallic materials is a challenging task due to complex structure-property relationships. Traditional experimental and computational approaches are time-intensive and economically inefficient, limiting their applicability for large-scale design space exploration. Here, in this work, we propose an end-to-end framework that integrates deep learning models with genetic optimization to design microstructures with targeted mechanical properties. Deep learning models enable accurate forward design, while their integration with genetic optimization enables efficient inverse design within a few hours, compared to days or weeks using conventional finite element simulations. The framework combines experimental characterization and finite element modeling to analyze the influence of microstructural features on the mechanical behavior of hypoeutectoid steels. Data from both experiments and simulations are used to train the deep learning models. To demonstrate its effectiveness, we apply the framework to 0.63% carbon steel with proeutectoid ferrite and pearlite phases, commonly used in industrial applications. In this study, 2D microstructures were used for modeling, selected primarily for computational efficiency and to establish proof of concept. The framework successfully optimizes microstructures for targeted yield strength, ultimate strength, and stress concentration factors while significantly reducing computational time. Beyond hypoeutectoid steels, this scalable framework can be extended to other material systems and integrated with additive manufacturing, offering an efficient approach for accelerating microstructure design for specific engineering applications.

ConvLSTM↗
DOE OSTI2025

Assessment of Microstructure Prediction Capabilities for Powder Bed Fusion Stainless Steel 316

The Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies program aims to accelerate the development, qualification, demonstration, and deployment of advanced materials and manufacturing technologies to enable reliable and economical nuclear energy. However, the characteristic process-structure-property relationships of additive manufacturing (AM) materials pose challenges for the qualification and certification of AM nuclear components. In particular, component-scale variations in microstructure and properties can be driven by localized changes in melt pool dynamics due to how process parameters interact with different part geometries. Computational modeling tools can play a crucial role in predicting and controlling this variability. This report presents final results on process modeling tools designed to predict microstructure variability in additively manufactured stainless steel 316 parts. It details the software packages and physical modeling approaches employed to simulate an AM component within an automated process modeling workflow. Results are demonstrated through comparisons between predicted microstructures and experimental measurements across various representative processing conditions. The report concludes by discussing identified challenges and future opportunities for connecting the developed simulation workflow with mechanics simulations for prediction of part performance.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Dataset of simulated vibrational density of states and X-ray diffraction profiles of mechanically deformed and disordered atomic structures in Gold, Iron, Magnesium, and Silicon

This dataset is comprised of a library of atomistic structure files and corresponding X-ray diffraction (XRD) profiles and vibrational density of states (VDoS) profiles for bulk single crystal silicon (Si), gold (Au), magnesium (Mg), and iron (Fe) with and without disorder introduced into the atomic structure and with and without mechanical loading. Included with the atomistic structure files are descriptor files that measure the stress state, phase fractions, and dislocation content of the microstructures. All data was generated via molecular dynamics or molecular statics simulations using the Large-scale Atomic/Molecular Massively Parallel Simulator (LAMMPS) code. This dataset can inform the understanding of how local or global changes to a materials microstructure can alter their spectroscopic and diffraction behavior across a variety of initial structure types (cubic diamond, face-centered cubic (FCC), hexagonal close-packed (HCP), and body-centered cubic (BCC) for Si, Au, Mg, and Fe, respectively) and overlapping changes to the microstructure (i.e., both disorder insertion and mechanical loading).

96 KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT AND PRESERVATION↗
DOE OSTI2021

Evolution of microstructures in radiation fields using a coupled binary-collision Monte Carlo phase field approach

The simulation of radiation effects in materials broadly falls into two categories. At short time and length scales lies the modeling of primary radiation damage, such as point defect creation, energy deposition, and ballistic mixing. This is followed by the modeling at longer time scales of thermally activated microstructure evolution and defect reactions, such as recombination, clustering, and coarsening. The binary collision Monte Carlo method is an established, numerically efficient method for the computation of primary radiation damage. Conversely, the phase field method is a state of the art method for microstructure evolution on longer time and length scales. Here we present a concurrent coupling of these two methods, overcoming the difference between the discrete object Monte Carlo paradigm for primary radiation damage and the continuum field variable approach for microstructure evolution. The coupling is bidirectional, in which the microstructure evolution in the MOOSE finite element frame- work provides the spatial scattering data set for the charged particle trans- port and receives point defect, mass transport, and heat source terms from the simulated collision cascades that contribute to the field variable evolution. The concurrent coupling scheme is implemented in the code Magpie and demonstrated by investigating patterning for a model irradiated immiscible binary alloy. The results from the coupled binary collision Monte Carlo/phase field simulations reproduce the results of analytical models for phase separation, phase mixing, and patterning, supporting the approach and indicating its utility for modeling real materials systems.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Modeling Ni redistribution in the hydrogen electrode of solid oxide cells through Ni(OH) 2 diffusion and Ni-YSZ wettability change

Ni redistribution in the hydrogen electrodes of solid oxide cells is an important degradation mechanism. Its driving force is still under debate. This work focuses on the interplay between Ni(OH) 2 diffusion and Ni-YSZ wettability change. With a Ni(OH) 2 diffusion model developed in our previous work, we further employ three models for the Ni-YSZ contact angle to quantify the Ni-YSZ wettability change. The microstructure evolutions in a reconstructed Ni-YSZ electrode are simulated under selected experimental operating conditions. It is shown that the phenomenological model can capture the driving force of Ni spreading/detachment on YSZ surface and the Ni migration reported in experiments can be qualitatively reproduced through the competition between Ni(OH) 2 diffusion and Ni-YSZ wettability change. It is also found that the initial microstructure of the active layer and the microstructure characteristics in the support layer can strongly affect the distribution of steam partial pressure and overpotential, hence the Ni redistribution, in the active layer, which may explain the inconsistencies in experiments. Further, our results show that there are two missing pieces in current theory of Ni redistribution: a mechanism of fast Ni diffusion under humid atmosphere and the physical reason behind the Ni spreading/detachment.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2026

Link statistics of dislocation network during strain hardening

Dislocations are line defects in crystals that multiply and self-organize into a complex network during strain hardening. The length of dislocation links, connecting neighboring nodes within this network, contains crucial information about the evolving dislocation microstructure. By analyzing data from Discrete Dislocation Dynamics (DDD) simulations in face-centered cubic (fcc) Cu, we characterize the statistical distribution of link lengths of dislocation networks during strain hardening on individual slip systems. Here, our analysis reveals that link lengths on active slip systems follow a double-exponential distribution, while those on inactive slip systems conform to a single-exponential distribution. The distinctive long tail observed in the double-exponential distribution is attributed to the stress-induced bowing out of long links on active slip systems, a feature that disappears upon removal of the applied stress. We further demonstrate that both observed link length distributions can be explained by extending a one-dimensional Poisson process to include different growth functions. Specifically, the double-exponential distribution emerges when the growth rate for links exceeding a critical length becomes super-linear, which aligns with the physical phenomenon of long links bowing out under stress. This work advances our understanding of dislocation microstructure evolution during strain hardening and elucidates the underlying physical mechanisms governing its formation.

Crystal plasticity↗