Microstructural evolution and mechanical instability of Mar-M509 superalloy fabricated by laser powder bed fusion under short-term thermal exposure

Cao, T.*; Wei, D.*; Gong, W.; 川崎 卓郎; Harjo, S.; 他10名*

Materials Science and Engineering A, 940, p.148534_1 - 148534_16, 2025/09

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msea.2025.148534

The thermal stability of microstructure and mechanical performance is crucial for the industrial application of laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) superalloy components in gas turbines and jet engines. This work investigated the microstructural evolution and strengthening mechanism of LPBF Mar-M509 cobalt-based superalloy before and after thermal exposure at 1200 C using multi-scale microstructural characterization and in situ neutron diffraction tensile testing. The as-built Mar-M509 superalloy exhibited a heterogeneous microstructural features with coarse columnar and fine equiaxed grains, both containing dendritic and cellular substructures enriched with nanoscale carbides and high-density dislocations. The ultra high strength of the as-built sample was primarily attributed to dislocation-precipitation synergistic strengthening. After thermal exposure at 1200 C for 4 h, the dendritic and cellular substructures disappeared and the dislocation density decreased significantly. This study reveals the microstructural evolution and instability of LPBF Mar-M509 superalloy under high-temperature exposure and the impacts on mechanical properties, which provides critical support for the development of cobalt-based superalloys in high-temperature application fields.

レーザー駆動中性子源を用いた非破壊分析技術の開発

小泉 光生; 伊藤 史哲*; Lee, J.; 弘中 浩太; 高橋 時音; 鈴木 敏*; 有川 安信*; 安部 勇輝*; Wei, T.*; 余語 覚文*; et al.

第45回日本核物質管理学会年次大会会議論文集(インターネット), 4 Pages, 2024/11

Neutron resonance transmission analysis (NRTA) is a non-destructive method applicable for measuring nuclear material using a time-of-flight (TOF) technique with a pulsed neutron source. To realize a high resolution compact NRTA system, use of a short-pulsed neutron source is essential. Laser-driven neutron sources (LDNSs) are well-suit for generating such neutron beams due to their short pulse width. The advances in laser technology will further reduce the system's size and improve practicality. In this study, we demonstrate the measurement of a neutron transmission TOF spectrum of a sample containing indium and silver using the LDNS of the Osaka University. The obtained spectrum was analyzed using the least-square nuclear-resonance fitting program, REFIT, showcasing for the first time the potential of an LDNS for nondestructive areal-density material characterization.

Single-shot laser-driven neutron resonance spectroscopy for temperature profiling

Lan, Z.*; 有川 安信*; Mirfayzi, S. R.*; Morace, A.*; 早川 岳人*; 佐藤 博隆*; 加美山 隆*; Wei, T.*; 巽 湧太*; 小泉 光生; et al.

Nature Communications (Internet), 15, p.5365_1 - 5365_7, 2024/07

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-49142-y

The temperature measurement of material inside of an object is one of the key technologies for control of dynamical processes. For this purpose, various techniques such as laser-based thermography and phase-contrast imaging thermography have been studied. However, it is, in principle, impossible to measure the temperature of an element inside of an object using these techniques. One of the possible solutions is measurements of Doppler brooding effect in neutron resonance absorption (NRA). Here we present a method to measure the temperature of an element or an isotope inside of an object using NRA with a single neutron pulse of approximately 100 ns width provided from a high-power laser. We demonstrate temperature measurements of a tantalum (Ta) metallic foil heated from the room temperature up to 617 K. Although the neutron energy resolution is fluctuated from shot to shot, we obtain the temperature dependence of resonance Doppler broadening using a reference of a silver (Ag) foil kept to the room temperature. A free gas model well reproduces the results. This method enables element(isotope)-sensitive thermometry to detect the instantaneous temperature rise in dynamical processes.

Dual nanoprecipitation and nanoscale chemical heterogeneity in a secondary hardening steel for ultrahigh strength and large uniform elongation

Wang, S.*; Wang, J.*; Zhang, S.*; Wei, D.*; Chen, Y.*; Rong, X.*; Gong, W.; Harjo, S.; Liu, X.*; Jiao, Z.*; et al.

Journal of Materials Science & Technology, 185, p.245 - 258, 2024/06

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmst.2023.10.048

Nanoprecipitates and nanoscale retained austenite (RA) with suitable stability play crucial roles in determining the yield strength (YS) and ductility of ultrahigh strength steels (UHSSs). However, owing to the kinetics incompatibility between nanoprecipitation and austenite reversion, it is highly challenging to simultaneously introduce high-density nanoprecipitates and optimized RA in UHSSs. In this work, through the combination of austenite reversion treatment (ART) and subsequent flash austenitizing (FA), nanoscale chemical heterogeneity was successfully introduced into a low-cost UHSS prior to the aging process. This chemical heterogeneity involved the enrichment of Mn and Ni in the austenite phase. The resulting UHSS exhibited dual-nanoprecipitation of Ni(Al,Mn) and (Mo,Cr) C and nanoscale austenite stabilized via Mn and Ni enrichment. The hard martensitic matrix strengthened by high-density dual-nanoprecipitates constrains the plastic deformation of soft RA with a relatively low fraction, and the presence of relatively stable nanoscale RA with adequate Mn and Ni enrichment leads to a marginal loss in YS but keeps a persistent transformation-induced plasticity (TRIP) effect. As a result, the newly-developed UHSS exhibits an ultrahigh YS of 1.7 GPa, an ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of 1.8 GPa, a large uniform elongation (UE) of 8.5 percent, and a total elongation (TE) of 13 percent. The strategy of presetting chemical heterogeneity to introduce proper metastable phases before aging can be extended to other UHSSs and precipitation-hardened alloys.

Si-addition contributes to overcoming the strength-ductility trade-off in high-entropy alloys

Wei, D.*; Gong, W.; 都留 智仁; Lobzenko, I.; Li, X.*; Harjo, S.; 川崎 卓郎; Do, H.-S.*; Bae, J. W.*; Wagner, C.*; et al.

International Journal of Plasticity, 159, p.103443_1 - 103443_18, 2022/12

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijplas.2022.103443

Face-centered cubic single-phase high-entropy alloys (HEAs) containing multi-principal transition metals have attracted significant attention, exhibiting an unprecedented combination of strength and ductility owing to their low stacking fault energy (SFE) and large misfit parameter that creates severe local lattice distortion. Increasing both strength and ductility further is challenging. In the present study, we demonstrate via meticulous experiments that the CoCrFeNi HEA with the addition of the substitutional metalloid Si can retain a single-phase FCC structure while its yield strength (up to 65%), ultimate strength (up to 34%), and ductility (up to 15%) are simultaneously increased, owing to a synthetical effect of the enhanced solid solution strengthening and a reduced SFE. The dislocation behaviors and plastic deformation mechanisms were tuned by the addition of Si, which improves the strain hardening and tensile ductility. The present study provides new strategies for enhancing HEA performance by targeted metalloid additions.

Mechanical behaviors of equiatomic and near-equiatomic face-centered-cubic phase high-entropy alloys probed using neutron diffraction

Wei, D.*; Gong, W.; 都留 智仁; 川崎 卓郎; Harjo, S.; Cai, B.*; Liaw, P. K.*; 加藤 秀実*

International Journal of Plasticity, 158, p.103417_1 - 103417_17, 2022/11

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijplas.2022.103417

In this study, we investigated the yielding and hardening behaviors of the Cantor alloy and FCC-phase Co-rich HEAs with different SFEs by in situ neutron diffraction combined with the first-principles method and electron-microscopy characterizations. The Co-rich HEAs exhibited a higher intrinsic yield strength than the Cantor alloy, mainly because of the larger shear modulus or modulus misfit, and grain refinement being more effective in improving the yield strength of low-SFE HEAs. Furthermore, higher flow stresses and better ductility of the Co-rich HEAs are attributed to the greater dislocation density and a larger number of stacking faults, which enhanced the strain-hardening rate during tensile deformation. The low SFE promoted mechanical twinning, and martensitic transformation contributed to higher strain-hardening rates.

Metalloid substitution elevates simultaneously the strength and ductility of face-centered-cubic high-entropy alloys

Wei, D.*; Wang, L.*; Zhang, Y.*; Gong, W.; 都留 智仁; Lobzenko, I.; Jiang, J.*; Harjo, S.; 川崎 卓郎; Bae, J. W.*; et al.

Acta Materialia, 225, p.117571_1 - 117571_16, 2022/02

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actamat.2021.117571

Recently-developed high-entropy alloys (HEAs) containing multiple principal metallic elements have ex-tended the compositional space of solid solutions and the range of their mechanical properties. Here we show that the realm of possibilities can be further expanded through substituting the constituent metals with metalloids, which are desirable for tailoring strength/ductility because they have chemical interactions and atomic sizes distinctly different from the host metallic elements. Specifically, the metalloid substitution increases local lattice distortion and short-range chemical inhomogeneities to elevate strength, and in the meantime reduces the stacking fault energy to discourage dynamic recovery and encourage defect accumulation via partial-dislocation-mediated activities. These impart potent dislocation storage to improve the strain hardening capability, which is essential for sustaining large tensile elongation. As such, metalloid substitution into HEAs evades the normally expected strength-ductility trade-off, enabling an unusual synergy of high tensile strength and extraordinary ductility for these single-phase solid solutions.

Strong local moment antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations in V-doped LiFeAs

Xu, Z.*; Dai, G.*; Li, Y.*; Yin, Z.*; Rong, Y.*; Tian, L.*; Liu, P.*; Wang, H.*; Xing, L.*; Wei, Y.*; et al.

npj Quantum Materials (Internet), 5(1), p.11_1 - 11_7, 2020/02

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41535-020-0212-x

We use neutron scattering to study Vanadium (hole)-doped LiFeVAs. In the undoped state, LiFeAs exhibits superconductivity at K and transverse incommensurate spin excitations similar to electron overdoped iron pnictides. Upon Vanadium doping to form LiFeV, the transverse incommensurate spin excitations in LiFeAs transform into longitudinally elongated ones in a similar fashion to that of potassium (hole)-doped BaKFeAs but with dramatically enhanced magnetic scattering and elimination of superconductivity. This is different from the suppression of the overall magnetic excitations in hole-doped BaFeAs and the enhancement of superconductivity near optimal hole doping. These results are consistent with density function theory plus dynamic mean field theory calculations, suggesting that Vanadium doping in LiFeAs may induce an enlarged effective magnetic moment with a spin crossover ground state arising from the inter-orbital scattering of itinerant electrons.

Observation of magnetoelastic effects in a quasi-one-dimensional spiral magnet

Wang, C.*; Daiwei, Y.*; Liu, X.*; Chen, R.*; Du, X.*; Hu, B.*; Wang, L.*; 飯田 一樹*; 蒲沢 和也*; 脇本 秀一; et al.

Physical Review B, 96(8), p.085111_1 - 085111_5, 2017/08

AA2017-0274.pdf:1.02MB

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.96.085111

This paper presents a systematic study of spin and lattice dynamics in the quasi-one-dimensional spiral magnet CuBr, using Raman scattering in conjunction with infrared and neutron spectroscopy. Along with the development of spin correlations upon cooling, we observe a rich set of broad Raman bands at energies that correspond to phonon-dispersion energies near the one-dimensional magnetic wave vector. The low-energy bands further exhibit a distinct intensity maximum at the spiral magnetic ordering temperature.

Beam commissioning of J-PARC linac after Tohoku Earthquake and its beam loss mitigation

池上 雅紀*; Fang, Z.*; 二ツ川 健太*; 宮尾 智章*; Liu, Y.*; 丸田 朋史; 佐甲 博之; 三浦 昭彦; 田村 潤; Wei, G.

Proceedings of 9th Annual Meeting of Particle Accelerator Society of Japan (インターネット), p.64 - 67, 2013/08

http://www.pasj.jp/web_publish/pasj9/proceedings/PDF/WELR/WELR01.pdf

The beam operation of J-PARC linac was interrupted by the Tohoku earthquake in March 2011. After significant effort for its restoration, we have resumed the beam operation of J-PARC linac in December 2011. After resumption of beam operation, we have been suffering from beam losses which were not observed before the earthquake. Tackling with the beam loss issues, we have been reached the same beam power for user operation as before the earthquake. In this paper, we present the experience in the beam start-up tuning after the earthquake with emphasis on the beam loss mitigation efforts.