Mechanical Properties of Nanoscale and Heat Resistant Materials SRL

The Laboratory carries out different research projects financed by government as well as by industrial enterprises. We are mostly involved in research in areas related to structures and mechanical properties of metals and alloys, and to developing technologies for metalworking.

Along with that, the laboratory conducts research into the following areas:

• the nature and mechanisms of dynamic recrystallization and the processes, accompanying annealing of nanostructure materials;
• mechanisms of creep and superplasticity of metal materials;
• the nature of the structure’s affecting fatigue resistance, crack propagation, impact strength, robustness and plasticity;
• changes in the structure under large plastic deformations, such as equal channel angular extrusion, repetitive forging, rotary drawing, rolling, and friction stir welding.

Presently, the Laboratory researches structure and mechanical behaviour of the following materials:

• new-generation thermotechnical austenitic and martensitic steels for power-generating equipment.
• high tensile aluminium 2XXX, 5XXX, 6XXX и 7XXX and Al-Li-Mg alloys.
• the AA 356 aluminium cast alloy .

Our research pursues the development of new heat-resistant steels for new generation power equipment. The investigations cover evolution of microstructure of metals during creep, their long-time strength and other mechanical proprieties and their dependence on structural parameters. The Laboratory develops technologies for friction stir welding, metal heat treatment, welding, Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP) to produce articles for vehicle manufacturing industry on a commercial scale. Our Laboratory also elaborates methods of manufacturing press-formed articles and sheets from high tensile alloys and Q&T steels with submicron and nano scale particles produced by severe plastic deformation.

Science

In the field of Material studies, the Laboratory conducts both fundamental and applied research into metal alloys. Our research effort is focused on medium and high alloy steels, aluminium- and nickel-base alloys.

Our applied research activities include development of:

• new thermotechnical austenitic and martensitic steels for thermal power station equipment, besides, technologies for heat treatment and welding are elaborated;
• equipment and technology for HIPped diecast aluminium parts;
• a heat-resistant Al-Cu-Mg-Ag alloy and technologies for treating the alloy,
• experimental-industrial technology for ECAP of high-tensile 2ХХХ, 5ХХХ and 7ХХХ aluminium alloys, performance evaluation of ECAP-processed aluminium alloys of the series used in aerospace, shipbuilding and vehicle industries;
• friction stir welding technology for sheets of the 2ХХХ и 5ХХХ aluminium alloys and studying mechanical behaviour of welding joints;
• technologies for generating high-tensile characteristics of austenitic steels by repetitive forging, rolling and rotation forging.

Fundamental research of the Laboratory is carried out in the following areas:

• mechanisms responsible for forming the grains in steels and alloys during severe plastic deformation;
• mechanisms of static grain growth in alloys with nanocrystalline structure;
• recrystallization processes in martensitic structure during creeping and long term annealing;
• processes, accompanying hardening and tempering high chrome martensitic steels;
• mechanisms of austenitic and martensitic steels creep, and ways the structure affects them,
• the Portevin– Le Chatelier effect observed in thermotechnical steels and alloys.

Extra-large deformation for research process is performed by using an array of methods. Structural surveys are carried out by the methods of optical metallography and transmission electron microscopy including the following analytical techniques: energy-dispersive analysis, electron energy loss spectroscopy, specific kinds of secondary electron contrast.

The Laboratory employs high resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM) technique. TEM is adopted for fractographic examination, observing phases using the Z-contrast method, misorientation analysis by the method of backscattered electrons including high resolution analysis, in-situ chemical composition analysis by energy dispersive and waveform method; besides, probe microscopy is used for deformation relief analysis and nanoindentation.

Nearly all kinds of mechanical tests are employed for mechanical behaviour tests: static tensile-and-compression tests, low-cycle fatigue test, fatigue endurance test, measuring fatigue crack propagation rate, stress intensity coefficient (К1с), impact test with data logging, long-time strength test, creep strength test, hardness and microhardness tests performed by various procedures.

Out of all methods and techniques for physical properties analysis and testing, differential scanning calorimetry or DSC remains the most popular.

Information was given by Rustam Kaibyshev,
Head of the Laboratory, on 31.01.2017

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