Ultra-high performance (UHP) concrete is a special type of fibrous cementitious composite that is characterized by high strength and superior ductility, toughness, and durability. This research aimed to investigate the resistance of ultra-high performance fiber-reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) against repeated impacts. An adjusted repeated drop mass impact test was adopted to evaluate the impact performance of 72 UHPFRC disc specimens. The specimens were divided into six mixtures each of 12 discs. The only difference between the mixtures was the types of fibers used, while all other mixture components were the same. Three types of fibers were used: 6 mm micro-steel, 15 mm micro-steel, and polypropylene. All mixtures included 2.5% volumetric content of fibers, however with different combinations of the three fiber types. The test results showed that the mixtures with the 15 mm micro-steel fiber absorbed a higher number of impact blows until cracking compared to other mixtures. The mixture with pure 2.5% of 15 mm micro-steel fiber exhibited the highest impact resistance, with percentage increases over the other mixtures ranging from 25 to 140%. In addition, the Weibull distribution was used to investigate the cracking impact resistance of UHP at different levels of reliability.
20 March 2015 in Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A
This work presents results in the field of synthesis of new metal matrix composites with matrix NiTi and particles TiB2, and their use as additives to fabricate metal matrix composites based on the Inconel 625 alloy. NiTi-TB2 powders were obtained using self-propagating high-temperature synthesis. Composite NiTi-TiB2 particles were spheroidized on a high-frequency induction plasmatron. Composite NiTi-TB2 particles were mixed with metallic Inconel 625 powder with particle sizes of 50–150 µm. We used direct laser deposition by means of mixture of powders to grow samples with different contents of ceramics in the metal matrix. The process of direct laser deposition during the experiment was investigated. We have determined the peculiarities of the formation of the structure in metal matrix composites with different contents of titanium diboride. We have demonstrated the possibility of using Direct Laser Deposition (DLD) for fabricating items from ceramic metal materials. We have determined promising fields of further research for the purpose of obtaining efficient metal matrix composites using additive manufacturing technologies.
A series of casting experiments was conducted with A356 aluminum alloys by applying vibration treatment and using Al-TiB2 composite master alloys. The main vibration effects include the promotion of nucleation and a reduction in as-cast grain size. Using composite master alloys with titanium diboride microparticles allows further reduction in the average grain size to 140 µm. The reasons for this behavior are discussed in terms of the complex effect on the melt, considering the destruction of dendrites, and the presence of additional crystallization centers. Tensile tests were performed on the samples obtained during the vibration treatment and with titanium diboride particles. The tensile strength increased from 182 to 227 MPa after the vibration treatment for the alloys containing titanium diboride.
This investigation focused on obtaining samples from ceramic composite materials, based on the ZrO2–20%Al2O3 system, using the additive layer-by-layer fusion technology for thermoplastic systems. The structure and phase composition of the initial powders were studied, experimental samples were produced, and the structure and properties of the experimental samples that were obtained using additive technologies were analysed. The measured static bending strength of the samples was 450 ± 70 MPa, microhardness was 14 GPa, and the elasticity modulus was 280 ± 25 GPa. The strength of these samples are slightly inferior to that of similar materials, obtained using Ceramic Injection Molding technology because our samples were characterised by the residual porosity of about 15%.