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At least 19 records

Effect of Surface Treatment on the Surface Characteristics of AISI 316L Stainless Steel

The ability of 316L stainless steel to maintain biocompatibility, which is dependent upon the surface characteristics, is critical to its effectiveness as an implant material. The surfaces of mechanically polished (MP), electropolished (EP) and plasma treated 316L stainless steel coupons were characterized by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES) for chemical composition, Atomic Force Microscopy for surface roughness, and contact angle measurements for critical surface tension. All surfaces had a Ni concentration that was significantly lower than the bulk concentration of -43%. The Cr content of the surface was increased significantly by electropolishing. The surface roughness was also improved significantly by electropolishing. Plasma treatment had the reverse effect - the surface Cr content was decreased. It was also found that the Cr and Fe in the surface exist in both the oxide and hydroxide states, with the ratios varying according to surface treatment.

Trigwell, Steve

Surface Treatment

A simple surface treatment process is provided which offers a high performance surface for a variety of applications at low cost. This novel surface treatment, which is particularly useful for Ti-6Al-4V alloys, is achieved by forming oxides on the surface with a two-step chemical process and without mechanical abrasion. First, after solvent degreasing, sulfuric acid is used to generate a fresh titanium surface. Next, an alkaline perborate solution is used to form an oxide on the surface. This acid-followed-by-base treatment is cost effective and relatively safe to use in commercial applications. In addition, it is chromium-free, and has been successfully used with a sol-gel coating to afford a strong adhesive bond that exhibits excellent durability after the bonded specimens have been subjected to a harsh 72 hour water boil immersion. Phenylethynyl containing adhesives were used to evaluate this surface treatment with a novel coupling agent containing both trialkoxysilane and phenylethynyl groups. 8 Claims, 16 Drawing Sheets

Park, Cheol

Ceramic fabrication process before firing-surface treatment of ceramic powder

The surface treatment of powders is discussed. Stability of ceramic powders and surfaces and the improvement of moldability are addressed. Characteristics of surface treatment technology are given, including formation of inorganic surface-treated layers, liquid phase reactions, gas treatment, surface treatment by coupling agents, and the formation of results of surface treatment.

Tsunoda, T.

Studies of the Surface Treatment and Sizing of Carbon Fiber Surfaces on the Mechanical Properties of Composites Containing Carbon Fibers

Carbon fiber reinforced composites are materials where carbon fibers are used to reinforce a matrix to produce a light and strong material with important applications in the aerospace industry. There are many aspects of the preparation of these materials that would benefit from a study which combines the research of groups involved in the production, testing and analysis of these materials, and studies of the basic surface chemistry involved. This final reports presents the results of a project that has developed a collaboration between groups in all three of the major research universities in the State of Kansas, and promises to lead to a collaborative program that covers the major aspects of composite development and application. Sherwood has provided initial fiber surface treatment and sizing together with fiber and composite surface analysis; Lease, Tomblin and Wang have worked together toward the goal of preparing pre-preg and fabrication of laminated panels; Locke has developed computational models to evaluate the effect of surface treatment (and chemistry) on mechanical properties; Lease, Tomblin and Wang have worked together to perform all necessary mechanical testing. The research has been focused on materials that would benefit the High Speed Civil Transport (HSCT) program. The group has visited Dr. Howard Maars and his colleagues at NASA Langley, and has focused their studies on the NASA requirements discussed in this meeting. An important development, requested by NASA scientists, has been the acquisition and study of K3B as a matrix material for the composites. The project has led to the successful acquisition and surface analysis of K3B, together with the successful deposition of this material onto surface oxidized carbon fibers. Mechanical testing, modelling and the construction of composite preparation equipment has been achieved during the grant period.

Sherwood, Peter M. A.

Effectiveness of Surface Treatment Techniques for Composite Bonding with Different Contamination Levels

Various surface treatment techniques have been developed to promote adhesive bond performance for composite structural components in aerospace applications. The condition of the pre-bond surface is critical to achieving desirable bond quality. Contamination on bonding surfaces is well recognized as a major threat to ultimate bond performance. Variation in contamination level has brought additional challenges into manufacturing process control. High fidelity surface treatment techniques are required for effective removal of contaminants over a wide range of contamination levels. In this study, a common contaminant, i.e. silicone mold release, was introduced to pre-bond composite surfaces with different concentrations. Plasma and laser surface treatment techniques were performed and their effectiveness in restoring and enhancing desirable bond quality was investigated. Surface characterization techniques, including water contact angle goniometry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, were conducted to assess the condition of contaminated surfaces and the improvement induced by plasma and laser surface treatments. Failure modes from a customized double cantilever beam test were investigated before and after surface treatments. Fundamental mechanisms of plasma and laser surface treatments on the composite bonding surfaces were also investigated.

Fang, Xiaomei

Evaluation of Ti-6Al-4V surface treatments for use with a polyphenylquinoxaline adhesive

Three surface treatments for Ti-6Al-4V adherends were evaluated using a thermoplastic polymer monoether polyphenylquinoxaline, MEPPQ, which had been shown in previous studies to have good potential as a high temperature adhesive for aerospace applications. Initial results based on long term thermal exposure at 232 C (450 F) using the phosphate-fluoride (PF) and chromic acid anodized (CAA) treatments with MEPPQ adhesive were not encouraging. A significant improvement in strength retention and a change in failure mode (cohesive) at 232 C (450F) was found for the SHA treated specimens compared to the PF and CAA treatments. Although an improvement in long term thermal durability was obtained with the SHA treatment of Ti-6Al-4V, an improved surface treatment with better long term durability is still required for aerospace applications.

Progar, D. J.

Evaluation of Ti-6Al-4V surface treatments for use with a polyphenylquinoxaline adhesive

Three surface treatments for Ti-6Al-4V adherends were evaluated using a thermoplastic polymer monoether polyphenylquinoxaline, MEPPQ, which had been shown in previous studies to have good potential as a high temperature adhesive for aerospace applications. Initial results based on long term thermal exposure at 232 C (450 F) using the phosphate-fluoride (PF) and chromic acid anodized (CAA) treatments with MEPPQ adhesive were not encouraging. A significant improvement in strength retention and a change in failure mode (cohesive) at 232 C (450 F) was found for the SHA treated specimens compared to the PF and CAA treatments. Although an improvement in long term thermal durability was obtained with the SHA treatment of Ti-6Al-4V, an improved surface treatment with better long term durability is still required for aerospace applications.

Progar, Donald J.

Preliminary Investigation of Surface Treatments to Enhance the Wear Resistance of 60-Nitinol

The use of protective surface treatments on 60-Nitinol (60wt%Ni-40wt%Ti) was studied. Various nitriding techniques as well as a (Ti, Al)N coating were evaluated visually, microscopically, and by hardness and scratch testing. The chemical composition of the surface treatments was investigated by x-ray techniques. The results indicate that very hard (greater than 1,000 HK) and adherent surface layers can be produced on 60-Nitinol. Further work is needed to determine the tribological properties of these surface treatments in relevant operating environments.

Nitinol

A Novel Surface Treatment for Titanium Alloys

High-speed commercial aircraft require a surface treatment for titanium (Ti) alloy that is both environmentally safe and durable under the conditions of supersonic flight. A number of pretreatment procedures for Ti alloy requiring multi-stages have been developed to produce a stable surface. Among the stages are, degreasing, mechanical abrasion, chemical etching, and electrochemical anodizing. These treatments exhibit significant variations in their long-term stability, and the benefits of each step in these processes still remain unclear. In addition, chromium compounds are often used in many chemical treatments and these materials are detrimental to the environment. Recently, a chromium-free surface treatment for Ti alloy has been reported, though not designed for high temperature applications. In the present study, a simple surface treatment process developed at NASA/LaRC is reported, offering a high performance surface for a variety of applications. This novel surface treatment for Ti alloy is conventionally achieved by forming oxides on the surface with a two-step chemical process without mechanical abrasion. This acid-followed-by-base treatment was designed to be cost effective and relatively safe to use in a commercial application. In addition, it is chromium-free, and has been successfully used with a sol-gel coating to afford a strong adhesive bond after exposure to hot-wet environments. Phenylethynyl containing adhesives were used to evaluate this surface treatment with sol-gel solutions made of novel imide silanes developed at NASA/LaRC. Oxide layers developed by this process were controlled by immersion time and temperature and solution concentration. The morphology and chemical composition of the oxide layers were investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES). Bond strengths made with this new treatment were evaluated using single lap shear tests.

Lowther, S. E.

Optimization of Picosecond Laser Parameters for Surface Treatment of Composites Using a Design of Experiments (DOE) Approach

Based on guidelines from the Federal Aviation Administration, research supported by the NASA Advanced Composites Project is investigating methods to improve process control for surface preparation and pre-bond surface characterization on aerospace composite structures. The overall goal is to identify high fidelity, rapid, and reproducible surface treatments and surface characterization methods to reduce the uncertainty associated with the bonding process. The desired outcome is a more reliable bonded airframe structure, and to reduce time to achieve certification. In this work, a design of experiments (DoE) approach was conducted to determine optimum laser ablation conditions using a pulsed laser source with a nominal pulse width of 10 picoseconds. The laser power, frequency, scan speed, and number of passes (1 or 2) were varied within the laser system operating boundaries. Aerospace structural carbon fiber reinforced composites (Torayca® 3900-2/T800H) were laser treated, then characterized for contamination, and finally bonded for mechanical testing. Pre-bond characterization included water contact angle (WCA) using a handheld device, ablation depth measurement using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and silicone contamination measurement using laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). In order to accommodate the large number of specimens in the DoE, a rapid-screening, double cantilever beam (DCB) test specimen configuration was devised based on modifications to ASTM D5528. Specimens were tested to assess the failure modes observed under the various laser surface treatment parameters. The models obtained from this DoE indicated that results were most sensitive to variation in the average laser power. Excellent bond performance was observed with nearly 100% cohesive failure for a wide range of laser parameters. Below about 200 mW, adhesive failure was observed because contamination was left on the surface. For laser powers greater than about 600 mW, large amounts of fiber were exposed, and the failure mode was predominately fiber tear.

Palmieri, Frank L.

Microporous structure with layered interstitial surface treatment, and method and apparatus for preparation thereof

A microporous structure with layered interstitial surface treatments, and the method and apparatus for its preparation are disclosed. The structure is prepared by sequentially subjecting a uniformly surface treated structure to atomic oxygen treatment to remove an outer layer of surface treatment to a generally uniform depth, and then surface treating the so exposed layer with another surface treating agent. The atomic oxygen/surface treatment steps may optionally be repeated, each successive time to a lesser depth, to produce a microporous structure having multilayered surface treatments. The apparatus employs at least one side arm from a main oxygen-containing chamber. The side arm has characteristic relaxation times such that a uniform atomic oxygen dose rate is delivered to a specimen positioned transversely in the side arm spaced from the main gas chamber.

Koontz, Steven L.

Microporous structure with layered interstitial surface treatment, and method and apparatus for preparation thereof

A microporous structure with layered interstitial surface treatments, and method and apparatus for preparation thereof is presented. The structure is prepared by sequentially subjecting a uniformly surface-treated structure to atomic oxygen treatment to remove an outer layer of surface treatment to a generally uniform depth, and then surface treating the so exposed layer with another surface treating agent. The atomic oxygen/surface treatment steps may optionally be repeated, each successive time to a lesser depth, to produce a microporous structure having multilayered surface treatments. The apparatus employs at least one side arm from a main atomic oxygen-containing chamber. The side arm has characteristic relaxation times such that a uniform atomic oxygen dose rate is delivered to a specimen positioned transversely in the side arm spaced from the main gas chamber.

Koontz, Steven L.

How Surface Treatments Enhance Ground Handling

Several runway surface treatments developed in recent years are described in terms of how aircraft tire landing and takeoff friction requirements are met, particularly during adverse weather conditions. Changing the surface texture with grooving, grinding and shot peening, use of chemicals to remove or prevent accumulation of natural or man-made contaminants, and the use of new techniques and materials are discussed as means of improving surface friction performance. Test data are presented to illustrate the effects of runway conditions on aircraft ground performance. The severity of the problem of operating on runway surfaces which cannot provide sufficient aircraft tire friction capability is also illustrated from documented aircraft accident/incident reports. The paper concludes with recommendations for future pavement research activities.

Yager, Thomas J.

Effect of Surface Treatments on Electron Beam Freeform Fabricated Aluminum Structures

Electron beam freeform fabrication (EBF3) parts exhibit a ridged surface finish typical of many layer-additive processes. This, post-processing is required to produce a net shape with a smooth surface finish. High speed milling wire electrical discharge machining (EDM), electron beam glazing, and glass bead blasting were performed on EBF3-build 2219 aluminum alloy parts to reduce or eliminate the ridged surface features. Surface roughness, surface residual stress state, and microstructural characteristics were examined for each of the different surface treatment to assess the quality and effect of the surface treatments on the underlying material. The analysis evaluated the effectivenes of the different surface finishing techniques for achieving a smooth surface finish on an electron beam freeform fabricated part.

Taminger, Karen M. B.