This study investigated the growth behavior and characteristics of compounds formed at the interface between a liquid Al-Si-Cu alloy and solid cast iron. Through microstructural analyses, it was observed that various AlFe and AlFeSi phases are formed at the interface, and the relative proportion of each phase changes when small amounts of strontium are added to the Al alloy. The results of the microstructural analysis indicate that the primary phases of the interfacial compounds in the Al-Si-Cu base alloy are Al8Fe2Si and Al4.5FeSi. However, in the Sr-added alloys, significant amounts of binary AlFe intermetallic compounds such as Al5Fe2 and Al13Fe4 formed, in addition to the AlFeSi phases. The inclusion of Sr has a slight diminishing effect on the rate at which the interfacial compounds layer thickens during the time the liquid Al alloy is in contact with the cast iron. The study also discusses the nano-indentation hardness and micro-hardness of the interfacial phases.

This study investigated the effect of solvent on the fabrication of Ni-free Fe-based alloy nano powders by employing the PWE (pulsed wire evaporation) in liquid and compared the alloy particles fabricated by three different methods (PWE in liquid, PWE in Ar, plasma arc discharge), for high temperature oxidation-resistant metallic porous body for high temperature soot filter system. Three different solvents (ethanol, acetone, distilled water) of liquid were adapted in PWE in liquid process, while X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning microscope (FE-SEM), and transmission electron microscope (TEM) were used to investigate the characteristics of the Fe-Cr-Al nano powders. The alloy powder synthesized by PWE in ethanol has good particle size and no surface oxidation compared to that of distilled water. Since the Fe-based alloy powders, which were fabricated by PWE in Ar and PAD process, showed surface oxidation by TEM analysis, the PWE in ethanol is the best way to fabricate Fe-based alloy nano powder.

This study investigated the effect of wire diameter and applied voltage on the fabrication of Ni-free Fe-based alloy nano powders by employing the PWE (pulsed wire evaporation) in liquid, for high temperature oxidation-resistant metallic porous body for high temperature particulate matter (or soot) filter system. Three different diameter (0.1, 0.2, and 0.3 mm) of alloy wire and various applied voltages from 0.5 to 3.0 kV were main variables in PWE process, while X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning microscope (FE-SEM), and transmission electron microscope (TEM) were used to investigate the characteristics of the Fe-Cr-Al nano powders. It was controlled the number of explosion events, since evaporated and condensed nano-particles were coalesced to micron-sized secondary particles, when exceeded to the specific number of explosion events, which were not suitable for metallic porous body preparation. As the diameter of alloy wire increased, the voltage for electrical explosion increased and the size of primary particle decreased.

The use of dolomite refractories has increased during the past several years in the manufacturing of clean steel during the stainless steelmaking process. However, at the same time, the use of dolomite refractories has led to what is known as the skull formation. In the present work, to understand the skull formation, the wetting characteristics of dolomite substrates by liquid Fe-19wt%Cr-10wt%Ni alloys in various oxygen partial pressures were initially investigated at 1753K using the sessile drop technique. For comparison, the wetting characteristics of alumina substrates were investigated with the same technique. It was found that the wetting index, (1+cosθ), of dolomite is approximately 40% higher compared to those of alumina. In addition, the oxygen partial pressure to generate the surface oxide, which may capture the liquid metal on the refractory surface, for dolomite is much lower than that for alumina. From this study, it was concluded that the use of dolomite is much more closely associated with the skull formation compared to the use of alumina due to the stronger wettability and the surface oxide formation at a lower oxygen partial pressure of dolomite.

For the fabrication of core-shell structure bimetallic lead-free solder balls, both the critical temperature (Tcr) for the phase separation of two immiscible liquid phases and the temperature coefficient of the interfacial tension between the two separated liquid phases are required. In order to obtain this information, the temperature dependence of the surface tension of 60%Bi-24%Cu-16%Sn(-REM) alloys was measured using the constrained drop method. The slope of the temperature dependence of the surface tension changed clearly at a critical temperature for the separation of two immiscible liquid phases. The critical temperature of the 60%Bi-24%Cu-16%Sn alloy was estimated to be 1097K. An addition of 0.05% Ce decreased the critical temperature to 1085K, whereas that of 0.05% La increased it to 1117K. It was found that the surface tension and its temperature coefficient of the 60%Bi-24%Cu-16%Sn alloy were slightly increased by the addition of 0.05% Ce and 0.05% La. In addition, additions of Ce and La increased the temperature coefficient of the interfacial tension.

Liquid phase sintering of 90W-6Ni-4Mn alloy has been investigated as functions of sintering atmosphere, heating rate, and reduction temperature. The present work accounts for the thermodynamic oxidatiodreduction reactions of constituent powders of W, Ni and Mn. By discounting these reactions, the previous investigations would obtain only the alloy with large pores and the lowered relative sintered density, by the liquid phase sintering under a dry hydrogen atmosphere. the sintering cycle consisted of a rapid heating to reduction temperatures under high purity nitrogen atmosphere, and holding for 4 hours and sintering at for 1 hour under a dry hydrogen gas. The relative density of the sintered alloy increased with increasing heating rate. As the reduction temperature increased, the relative density increased to the lm theotical density at the duction temture above . The mimsturcatre of sintered alloys has been analysed by a scanning election microscope. The sintered density was compared with those obtained from the other investigators. It was found that the reduction results in the lowered densification of 90W-6Ni-4Mn alloy. This is caused by the fact that reducing reactions of W and Ni oxides contained in W an Ni powders concomitantly leads to oxidizing reaction of Mn powder the oxidized Mn is hardly reduced at sintering temperature and thereby remains large pores in the alloy. It is concluded that the W-Ni-Mn alloy with full density can be obtained by the precise control of atmosphere, heating rate, and sintering temperature.

TLP(Transient-Liquid-Phase) bonding of Fe-base MA956 ODS alloy was performed. As insert metal a commercially available Ni-base alloy(MBF50) and an MA956 alloy with additive elements of 7wt% Si and 1wt% B were used. To confirm the idea that a concurrent use of MA956 powder with Insert metals can enhance the homogenization of constituent elements and thereby reduce the thickness of joint interface, MA956 powder was also inserted In a form of sheet. SEM observation and EDS analysis revealed that Cr-rich phase was formed in the bonded interface in initial stage of isothermal solidification during the bonding process, irrespective of kind of insert metals. Measurement of hardeness in the region of bonded interface and EDS analysis showed that a complete homogenization of composition could not be obtained especially in case of MBF50. Joints using either BSi insert metals only or BSi insert together with MA956 powder interlayer showed, however, a remarkable improvement in a compositional homogenization, even though a rapid grain growth in the bonded interface could not be hindered.

When a commercial prealloyed Fe-powder(Fe-5Cr-lMo-2Cu-0.5P-3C) is liquid phase sintered at 116, liquid precipitates with various shapes form within solid grains during the initial stage of sintering. The shape of a liquid precipitate changes pith the increment of their size from sphere(with radius<0.3), a transient polyhedron with more than 7 faces(1~2 ), cuboid(3~5 ), and finally to sphere(>5 ). The shapes of liquid precipitates closely resemble the growth shapes predicted on the basis of solid-liquid interfacial energy and the coherency strain energy with anisotropic elastic constants in the diffusion zone around the precipitates.