• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.598-607
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• 1992

The environment degradation of structural steel under high temperature is one of the key phenomena governing the availability and life of plant. This degradation resulted from the microstructural changes due to the long exposure at high temperature affect the mechanical properties such as creep strength and toughness. For instance, boiler tube materials usually tend to degrade, after long term operation, by precipitates, spherodizing, coarsening, and change in chemical composition of carbides. In this study, the material degradation under high temperature exposure was investigated by evaluating the carbide precipitation. The electrochemical polarization method was facilitated to investigate the precipitation and coarsening of carbides. It was shown by the modified electrochemical potentiokinetic reactivation (EPR) tests that the passivation of Mo-rich carbides did not occur even in the anodic peak current (Ip) which indicates the precipitation of Mo$_{6}$C was also observed. And it was assured that special electrolytic cell assembled in this research can be used for the detection of Mo$_{6}$C precipitation in the field.eld.

• Journal of the Korean institute of surface engineering
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.130-135
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• 2012

Hydrogen charging was electrochemically conducted at high strength DP steels and TRIP steel with varying charging time. The penetration depths and the mechanical properties with charging conditions were investigated through the distribution of micro-hardness and the microstructural observation of the subsurface zone. The micro-Vickers hardness was measured to evaluate the hydrogen embrittlement of subsurface zone in addition to the microscope investigation. It was shown that the hydrogen amounts decreased in DP steels and TRIP steel with increasing hydrogen charging time. As shown by micro-Vickers hardness test and small punch test results, micro-Vickers hardness and SP energy for DP steels and TRIP steel decreased with increasing hydrogen charging time, for constant value of charging current density. SEM investigation results for the hydrogen contained samples showed that the major fracture behavior was brittle fracture which results in dimples on fractured surface and the size of dimples were decreased with increasing hydrogen charging time. These results indicate that hydrogen embrittlement is the major cause for the fracture of high strength steels and also micro-Vickers hardness test and small punch test is a valuable test method for hydrogen embrittlement of high strength sheet steels.

• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
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• v.50 no.6
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• pp.455-462
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• 2012

Al-Si coated boron steel and Zn coated DP steel plates were laser-welded to manufacture a Tailor Welded Blank (TWB) for a car body frame. Hot-stamping heat treatment ($900^{\circ}C$, 5 min) was applied to the TWB weld, and the microstructural change and transformation mechanism were investigated in the Al-rich area near the bond line of the Al-Si coated steel side. There was Al-rich area with a single phase, $Fe_3(Al,Si)$, which was transformed to ${\alpha}-Fe$ (Ferrite) after the heat treatment. It could be explained that the $Fe_3(Al,Si)$ phase was transformed to ${\alpha}-Fe$ during heat treatment at $900^{\circ}C$ for 5 min and the resultant ${\alpha}-Fe$ phase was not transformed by rapid cooling. Before the heat treatment, the microstructures around the $Fe_3(Al,Si)$ phase consisted of martensite, bainite and ${\alpha}-Fe$ while they were transformed to martensite and ${\delta}-Fe$ after the heat treatment. Due to the heat treatment, Al was diffused to the $Fe_3(Al,Si)$ and this resulted in an increase of Al content to 0.7 wt% around the Al-rich area. If the weld was held at $900^{\circ}C$ for 5 min it was transformed to a mixture of austenite (${\gamma}$) and ${\delta}-Fe$, and only ${\gamma}$ was transformed to the martensite by water cooling while the ${\delta}-Fe$ was remained unchanged.

• Journal of the Korean institute of surface engineering
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• v.54 no.5
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• pp.230-237
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• 2021

In this study, the influence of silicon contents on the microstructure, mechanical and tribological properties of Ti-Al-Si-N coatings were systematically investigated for application of cutting tools. The composition of the Ti-Al-Si-N coatings were controlled by different combinations of TiAl₂ and Ti₄Si composite target powers using an arc ion plating technique in a reactive gas mixture of high purity Ar and N₂ during depositions. Ti-Al-Si-N films were nanocomposite consisting of nanosized (Ti,Al,Si)N crystallites embedded in an amorphous Si₃N₄/SiO₂ matrix. The instrumental analyses revealed that the synthesized Ti-Al-Si-N film with Si content of 5.63 at.% was a nanocomposites consisting of nano-sized crystallites (5-7 nm in dia.) and a three dimensional thin layer of amorphous Si₃N₄ phase. The hardness of the Ti-Al-Si-N coatings also exhibited the maximum hardness value of about 47 GPa at a silicon content of ~5.63 at.% due to the microstructural change to a nanocomposite as well as the solid-solution hardening. The coating has a low friction coefficient of 0.55 at room temperature against an Inconel alloy ball. These excellent mechanical and tribological properties of the Ti-Al-Si-N coatings could help to improve the performance of machining and cutting tool applications.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.247-251
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• 2022

This study demonstrates the effect of the compaction pressure on the microstructure and properties of pressureless-sintered W bodies. W powders are synthesized by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis and hydrogen reduction using ammonium metatungstate hydrate as a precursor. Microstructural investigation reveals that a spherical powder in the form of agglomerated nanosized W particles is successfully synthesized. The W powder synthesized by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis exhibits a relative density of approximately 94% regardless of the compaction pressure, whereas the commercial powder exhibits a relative density of 64% under the same sintering conditions. This change in the relative density of the sintered compact can be explained by the difference in the sizes of the raw powder and the densities of the compacted green body. The grain size increases as the compaction pressure increases, and the sintered compact uniaxially pressed to 50 MPa and then isostatically pressed to 300 MPa exhibits a size of 0.71 m. The Vickers hardness of the sintered W exhibits a high value of 4.7 GPa, mainly due to grain refinement.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Heat Treatment
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.122-129
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• 2021

This study focuses on the microstructural development of 99% magnesium alloy sheet manufactured using twin roll casting (TRC) process. Herein, a plate with a thickness of 5 mm was manufactured using the TRC process, homogenization heat treatment was performed at 400℃ for 2-32 h, and finally, the change in microstructure was evaluated via optical microscopy and textural analysis. The results suggest that the plate manufactured using the TRC process was not destroyed and was successfully rolled into a plate. Microscopic observation suggested that the dendritic cast structure was arranged along the rolling direction. And the central layer of the rolled plate, where was present in a liquid state at the beginning of rolling, solidified later during the TRC process to form central segregation. The initial cast structure and inhomogeneous structure of the plate were recrystallized by homogenization heat treatment for only 2 h, and it was confirmed that the segregated part of the central layer became homogeneous and recrystallization occurred. Grain growth occurred as the heat treatment time increased, and secondary recrystallization occurred, wherein only some grains were grown. The textural analysis, which was conducted via X-ray diffraction, confirmed that the relatively weak basal plane texture developed using the TRC process was formed into a random texture after heat treatment.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Heat Treatment
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.303-310
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• 2023

β titanium alloys are widely used in aerospace industry due to their excellent specific strength and corrosion resistance. In particular, mechanical properties of metastable β titanium can efficiently be controlled by various deformation mechanisms such as slip, twinning, and SIM (Stress-Induced Martensite Transformation), making it an ideal material for many industrial applications. In this study, Ti-5Mo-xFe (x=1, 2, 4 wt%) alloy was designed by adding a relatively inexpensive β element to ensure price competitiveness. Additionally, microstructural analysis was conducted using OM, SEM, and XRD, while mechanical properties were evaluated through hardness and compression tests to consider the deformation mechanisms based on the Fe content. SIMT occurred in all three alloys and was influenced by the presence of β_m (metastable beta) and beta stability. As the Fe content decreased, the α'' phase increased due to SIMT occurring within the β_m phase, resulting in softening. Conversely, as the Fe content increased, the strength of the alloy increased due to a reduction in α'' formation and the contributions of solid solution strengthening and grain strengthening. Moreover, unlike the other alloys, shear bands were observed only in the fracture of the Ti-5Mo-4Fe alloy, which was attributed to differences in texture and microstructure.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Heat Treatment
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.128-136
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• 2023

In this study, the effects of heat treatment on the nano-scale creep behavior of CoCrFeMnNi high-entropy alloy (HEA) processed by high-pressure torsion (HPT) was investigated through nanoindentation technique. Nanoindentation experiments with a Berkovich indenter were performed on HPT-processed alloy subjected to heat treatment at 450℃, revealing that the hardness of the HPT-processed alloy (HPT sample) significantly increased with the heat treatment time. The heat treatment-induced microstructural change in HPT-processed alloy was analyzed using transmission electron microscopy, which showed the nano-sized Cr-, NiMn-, and FeCo-rich phases were formed in the HPT-processed alloy subjected to 10 hours of heat treatment (HPT+10A sample). To compare the creep behavior of HPT and HPT+10A samples, constant load nanoindentation creep experiments were performed using spherical indentation indenters with two different radii. It was revealed that the predominant mechanism for creep highly depended on the applied stress level. At low stress level, both HPT and HPT+10A samples were dominated by Coble creep. At high stress level, however, the mechanism transformed to dislocation creep for HPT sample, but continued to be Coble creep for HPT+10A sample, leading to higher creep resistance in the HPT+10A sample.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.399-407
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• 2024

This study nondestructively examined the evolution of crack density in ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) upon cyclic loading. Uniaxial compression was repeatedly applied to the cylindrical specimens at levels corresponding to 32% and 53% of the maximum load-bearing capacity, each at a steady strain rate. At each stage, both P-wave and S-wave velocities were measured in the absence of the applied load. In particular, the continuous monitoring of P-wave velocity from the first loading prior to the second loading allowed real-time observation of the strengthening effect during loading and the recovery effect afterwards. Increasing the number of cycles resulted in the reduction of both elastic wave velocities and Young's modulus, along with a slight rise in Poisson's ratio in both tested cases. The computed crack density showed a monotonically increasing trend with repeated loading, more significant at 53% than at 32% loading. Furthermore, the spatial distribution of the crack density along the height was achieved, validating the directional dependency of microcracking development. This study demonstrated the capability of the crack density to capture the evolution of microcracks in UHPC under cyclic loading condition, as an early-stage damage indicator.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.38 no.12
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• pp.1415-1420
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• 2014

Super-critical $CO_2$ ($S-CO_2$) Brayton cycle has been considered to replace the current steam Rankine cycle in Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor (SFR) in order to improve the inherent safety and thermal efficiency. Several austenitic alloys are considered as the structural materials for high temperature $S-CO_2$ environment.. Microstructural change after long-term exposure to high temperature $S-CO_2$ environment could affect to the mechanical properties. In this study, candidate materials (austenitic stainless steels and Alloy 800HT) were exposed to $S-CO_2$ to assess oxidation resistance and the change in tensile properties. Loss of ductility was observed for some austenitic stainless steels even after 250 h exposure. The contribution of $S-CO_2$ environment on such changes was analyzed based on the characterization of the surface oxide and carburization of the materials in which 316H and 800H showed different oxidation behaviors.