A mechanically strong and ductile soft magnet with ultralow coercivity

Soft magnetic materials (SMMs) are indispensable components in electrified applications and sustainable energy supply, allowing permanent magnetic flux variations in response to high frequency changes of the applied magnetic field, at lowest possible energy loss1. The global trend towards electrification of transport, households and manufacturing leads to a massive increase in energy consumption due to hysteresis losses2. Therefore, minimizing coercivity, which scales the losses in SMMs, is crucial3. Yet, meeting this target alone is not enough: SMMs used for instance in vehicles and planes must withstand severe mechanical loads, i.e., the alloys need high strength and ductility4. This is a fundamental design challenge, as most methods that enhance strength introduce stress fields that can pin magnetic domains, thus increasing coercivity and hysteretic losses5. Here, we introduce a new approach to overcome this dilemma. We have designed a Fe-Co-Ni-Ta-Al multicomponent alloy with ferromagnetic matrix and paramagnetic coherent nanoparticles of well-controlled size (~91 nm) and high volume fraction (55%). They impede dislocation motion, enhancing strength and ductility. Yet, their small size, low coherency stress and small magnetostatic energy create an interaction volume below the magnetic domain wall width, leading to minimal domain wall pinning, thus maintaining the material’s soft magnetic properties. The new material exhibits an excellent combination of mechanical and magnetic properties outperforming other multicomponent alloys and conventional SMMs. It has a tensile strength of ~1336 MPa at 54% tensile elongation, an extremely low coercivity of ~78 A/m (<1 Oe) and a saturation magnetization of ~100 Am2/kg. The work opens new perspectives on developing magnetically soft and mechanically strong and ductile materials for the sustainable electrification of industry and society.

Monte Carlo-discrete dislocation dynamics: A technique for studying the formation and evolution of dislocation structures

A novel Monte Carlo (MC) based solver for discrete dislocation dynamics (DDD) has been developed, by which dislocation lines are inserted to the system in succession subject to a user-defined acceptance criterion. Utilizing this solver, dislocation structure evolution can be examined in a controlled fashion that is not possible using conventional DDD methods. The outcomes of the MC-DDD simulations establish for the first time that dislocation wall structures can adopt a characteristic width that naturally arises from elastic interactions within the network. This characteristic width does not alter as additional dislocation lines are inserted and the density in the wall increases, meaning it is independent of the mean dislocation spacing. However, the wall width is influenced by the acceptance criterion used during MC steps; the wall gets thinner as the interactions within the wall become more attractive. Finally, we demonstrate that algorithmic aspects of MC-DDD simulations can provide insights into structure evolution. Overall, this new MC-DDD technique will allow systematic studies of dislocation structures, providing unprecedented insight into the underlying mechanics.

Transferability of the working envelope approach for parameter selection and optimization in thin wall WAAM

This work aims to propose and assess a methodology for parameterization for WAAM of thin walls based on a previously existing working envelope built for a basic material (parameter transferability). This work also aimed at investigating whether the working envelope approach can be used to optimize the parameterization for a target wall width in terms of arc energy (which governs microstructure and microhardness), surface finish and active deposition time. To reach the main objective, first, a reference working envelope was developed through a series of deposited walls with a plain C-Mn steel wire. Wire feed speed (WFS) and travel speed (TS) were treated as independent variables, while the geometric wall features were considered dependent variables. After validation, three combinations of WFS and TS capable of achieving the same effective wall width were deposited with a 2.25Cr-1Mo steel wire. To evaluate the parameter transferability between the two materials, the geometric features of these walls were measured and compared with the predicted values. The results showed minor deviations between the predicted and measured values. As a result, WAAM parameter selection for another material showed to be feasible after only fewer experiments (shorter time and lower resource consumption) from a working envelope previously developed. The usage of the approach to optimize parameterization was also demonstrated. For this case, lower values of WFS and TS were capable of achieving a better surface finish. However, higher WFS and TS are advantageous in terms of production time. As long as the same wall width is maintained, variations in WFS and TS do not significantly affect microstructure and microhardness.

EFFECT OF IMISSION TO XYLEM ANATOMY OF NORWAY SPRUCE

The aim of this work was to analyse the relationship between anatomical parameters of spruce tracheidsand climatic factors and air pollution load, in the period before, during and after the maximum air pollution load. In this study we used the method of dividing annual rings into a number of equally wide sectors, for which the average values of the tracheid dimensions, i.e., the lumen area and cell wall width, were determined. This method was compared to the classic approach, which works with the average values of parameters for the entire annual ring, or for earlywood and latewood. The study showed that the trees responded to the increased concentration of pollutants by reducing the widths of the annual rings and the values of the anatomical parameters. The higher resolution of data gives us a better insight on the influence of abiotic factors to the wood structure. The ratio of cell wall thicknesses ofearlywood to latewood was also shown asa good indicator of stress.

Effect of scan pattern on Hastelloy-X wall structures built by laser-directed energy deposition-based additive manufacturing

This article systematically analyzes the effect of scan pattern on the geometry and material properties of wall structures built using laser-directed energy deposition (LDED)-based additive manufacturing. Hastelloy-X (Hast-X), a nickel superalloy, is deposited using an indigenously developed 2-kW fiber laser–based LDED system. The wall structures are built using unidirectional and bidirectional scan patterns with the same LDED process parameters and effect of scan pattern on the geometry, microstructural and mechanical characteristics of Hast-X wall structures built using LDED. The wall width is higher for samples deposited with the bidirectional pattern at the starting and ending points as compared to walls built with the unidirectional pattern. Further, the range of width value is higher for walls built with bidirectional strategy as compared to walls built with unidirectional strategy. Wall height is more uniform with unidirectional deposition at the central region, with the range and standard deviation for walls built using bidirectional deposition at 3 and 2.5 times more than unidirectional deposition, respectively. The deposition rate for bidirectional deposition is two times that of unidirectional deposition. The microstructure of the built walls is cellular/dendritic, with bidirectional deposition showing a finer grain structure. Elemental mapping shows the presence of elemental segregation of Mo, C and Si, confirming the formation of Mo-rich carbides. Micro-hardness and ball indentation studies reveal higher mechanical strength for samples built using the bidirectional pattern, with unidirectional samples showing strength lower than the conventional wrought Hast-X samples (197 HV). This study paves a way to understand the effect of scan pattern on LDED built wall structures for building intricate thin-walled components.

Effect of Interlayer Delay on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Wire Arc Additive Manufactured Wall Structures

Wire arc additive manufacturing is a metal additive manufacturing technique that allows the fabrication of large size components at a high deposition rate. During wire arc additive manufacturing, multi-layer deposition results in heat accumulation, which raises the preheat temperature of the previously built layer. This causes process instabilities, resulting in deviations from the desired dimensions and variations in material properties. In the present study, a systematic investigation is carried out by varying the interlayer delay from 20 to 80 s during wire arc additive manufacturing deposition of the wall structure. The effect of the interlayer delay on the density, geometry, microstructure and mechanical properties is investigated. An improvement in density, reduction in wall width and wall height and grain refinement are observed with an increase in the interlayer delay. The grain refinement results in an improvement in the micro-hardness and compression strength of the wall structure. In order to understand the effect of interlayer delay on the temperature distribution, numerical simulation is carried out and it is observed that the preheat temperature reduced with an increase in interlayer delay resulting in variation in geometry, microstructure and mechanical properties. The study paves the direction for tailoring the properties of wire arc additive manufacturing-built wall structures by controlling the interlayer delay period.

Gas Metal Arc Welding Modes in Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing of Ti-6Al-4V

In wire arc additive manufacturing of Ti-alloy parts (Ti-WAAM) gas metal arc welding (GMAW) can be applied for complex parts printing. However, due to the specific properties of Ti, GMAW of Ti-alloys is complicated. In this work, three different types of metal transfer modes during Ti-WAAM were investigated: Cold Metal Transfer, controlled short circuiting metal transfer, and self-regulated metal transfer at a direct current with a negative electrode. Metal transfer modes were studied using captured waveform and high-speed video analysis. Using these modes, three walls were manufactured; the geometry preservation stability was estimated and compared using effective wall width calculation, the microstructure was analyzed using optical microscopy. Transfer process data showed that arc wandering depends not only on cathode spot instabilities, but also on anode processing properties. Microstructure analysis showed that each produced wall consists of phases and structures inherent for Ti-WAAM. α-basketweave in the center of and α-colony on the grain boundary of epitaxially grown β-grains were found with heat affected zone bands along the height of the walls, so that the microstructure did not depend on metal transfer dramatically. However, the geometry preservation stability was higher in the wall, produced with controlled short circuiting metal transfer.

Evaluation of Palatal Furcation Groove and Root Canal Anatomy of Maxillary First Premolar: A CBCT and Micro-CT Study

Objectives. This study is aimed at investigating the root and root canal morphology by cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) and palatal furcation groove of the buccal root by microcomputed tomography (micro-CT) of maxillary first premolars in a Chinese subpopulation. Methods. This study assessed CBCT images of 440 patients aged 14-80 years. Based on Vertucci’s classification, the number of roots and the canal configuration were determined. Forty-eight maxillary first premolars with furcation grooves were analyzed by micro-CT in patients aged 18-25 years. Results. Based on the CBCT assay, 70.22% and 29.32% of maxillary first premolars were 1 root and 2 roots, respectively. The configuration indicated statistical difference ( P < 0.05 ) between male and female patients. The most common canal type was type IV and was found in 44.32% of cases, followed by type I in 27.84%, and then type II in 20.57%. Root bifurcations had 40.13% prevalence which was distributed more in the middle third than in the cervical and the apical third. For the micro-CT study, 95.83% of the furcation groove configuration was found in the bifurcated maxillary first premolars. The length varied from 1.02 to 7.63 mm. The mean depth of this groove was 0.57 mm in the root coronal, 0.47 mm in the root middle, and 0.22 mm in the root apical level. Palatal dentin width was smaller than 1 mm. Conclusion. The anatomy of the root and root canal system and the irregular wall width of maxillary first premolars with furcation grooves may help dentists to understand the anatomical morphology and improve the outcomes of endodontic treatment.

Fate of domain walls in 5D gravitational theory with compact extra dimension

We pursue the time evolution of the domain walls in 5D gravitational theory with a compact extra dimension by numerical calculation. In order to avoid a kink-antikink pair that decays into the vacuum, we introduce a topological winding in the field space. In contrast to the case of non-gravitational theories, there is no static domain-wall solution in the setup. In the case that the minimal value of the potential is non-negative, we find that both the 3D space and the extra dimension will expand at late times if the initial value of the Hubble parameter is chosen as positive. The wall width almost remains constant during the evolution. In other cases, the extra dimension diverges and the 3D space shrinks to zero at a finite time.