453 research outputs found
Fatigue life and microstructure of additive manufactured Ti6Al4V after different finishing processes
No full textFinishing methods of additive manufactured metal parts are becoming a key driver of industrial viability, increasingly with additive processes being challenged in demanding end-product applications. The same scenario stresses the requirements as to fatigue life of parts built by Additive Manufacturing (AsM). The paper addresses fatigue life of Ti6Al4V produced by Powder Bed Fusion in four finishing conditions: as-built, tool machined, after tumbling and after tumbling and subsequent shot-peening. Failure mechanisms at the micro-scale are observed in order to reinforce the mechanical results by identifying the role of different surface morphologies in crack initiation. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques and microanalysis (EDX) are used to investigate microstructural modifications generated by the different finishing methods. Results show that tumbling alone does not improve fatigue life against the as built condition, whereas tumbling and subsequent shot peening allow matching the fatigue endurance of tool machined specimens. The shot peening process causes surface amorphization and implantation of the peening media turning into subsurface inclusions. Based on the results, an optimized finishing process can be envisaged, consisting in prolonged tumbling up to the removal of a stock allowance at least equal to the powder size, before shot peening
Investigation of the Superconducting Properties of Nb Filmscovered by PECVD a-Si:H Layers for Superconducting Qubit Application
No full textAbstractHydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) grown by PECVD has a lower loss tangent (tan _) among conventional dielectrics (such as SiO2 and SiNx) and hence is considered as the best amorphous dielectric material for superconducting qubit application. The incorporation of PECVD a-Si:H into the Nb technology requires attention due to the possible degradation of the superconductivity of the Nb films. Superconducting transition temperature (Tc) and residual resistivity (_0) of 20 nm, 50 nm and 100 nm thick Nb films were measured before and after a-Si:H deposition. The penetration of oxygen and hydrogen inside the Nb films was evaluated from the variation of the lattice parameter obtained by X-ray di_raction. The high process temperature (250_ C) and the presence of energetic hydrogen ions during the a-Si:H layer growth caused a decrease of Tc and increase of _0 through two physical processes: 1) oxygen di_usion from the surface Nb oxides and 2) hydrogen di_usion inside the Nb films. The degradation of Tc was reduced with the increase of the film thickness. Nitridation of Nb films and deposition of a sputtered thin amorphous silicon layer (a-Si) on the Nb films (in both cases made in situ after the Nb film deposition) were investigated a s surface treatments to protect the Nb filmsduring PECVD. It was demonstrated that both methods markedly reduce oxygen and hydrogen di_usion into Nb films during a-Si:H deposition, but the a-Si layer was more e_ective to protect the Nb films
Superconducting and structural properties of Nb films covered by plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposited a-Si:H layers for superconducting qubit application
No full textWith a view to the fabrication of superconducting qubits with low decoherence time, we have
investigated the influence of a-Si:H deposition by the plasma enhanced chemical vapor
deposition method at 250◦C on the superconducting and structural properties of a 20 nm thick
Nb film treated by two surface protection methods: plasma nitridation and deposition of a thin
unhydrogenated Si layer. A suppression of theTc and an increase of the residual resistivity are
observed due to hydrogen diffusion and decomposition of the native surface oxide, with
subsequent oxygen diffusion caused by sample heating. The unhydrogenated Si layer is found
to efficiently protect the Nb films against both diffusion processes
Characterisation of ferroelectric thin films by X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy
No full textInfluence of laser powder bed fusion process parameters on the properties of CuZn42 components: case study of the laser surface energy density
No full textAlthough additive manufacturing (AM) technologies have been rarely used to produce lead-containing brass, the same AM technologies have never been adopted to produce lead-free brass parts based on the CuZn42 alloy. This study aims to fill the gap, demonstrating the feasibility of lead-free brass alloys by laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) technology and investigating structural and mechanical properties of the produced specimens, focusing attention on the role of surface energy density on material properties. Starting from a raw powder of CuZn42 alloy containing alpha, beta and gamma brass phases, fully dense samples with high hardness values were obtained by LPBF. The structural and mechanical properties of the samples were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive microanalysis (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and density and hardness measurements. Results showed that density, hardness and the relative amount of the brass phases depend on the surface energy density (SED) E-s. The investigated range of SED allowed defining the process window ranging from 2 J/mm(2) to 10 J/mm(2), within which fully dense samples can be obtained. A linear dependence of hardness on density was also found, suggesting that deformation mechanisms are mainly due to the presence of residual pores and internal cavities rather than to microstructural features, such as the relative amount of brass phases and crystallographic defects. All results obtained in this work demonstrated, for the first time, that LPBF is suitable to produce components based on the CuZn42 alloy, and that structural and mechanical properties of the produced parts can be properly designed by controlling SED
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