Table of Contents

A tactic for the synthesis of Ni-modified graphene nanosheets (Ni-GNSs) as a high-performance reinforcement of a lead-free solder is proposed and achieved via an environmentally friendly and controllable pyrolysis method. The segmented pyrolysis processes of an Ni(CH₃COO)₂∙4H₂[email protected] hybrid are discussed. The morphology, microstructure, phase transition, and adsorption strength of nanoparticles on the surface of GNSs with various theoretical Ni loadings are characterized. The adsorption mechanism of a single Ni atom on the surface of perfect graphene and defective graphene was studied based on density functional theory. The corresponding underlying formation mechanisms of Ni-GNSs are analyzed. The results show that the grain size, distribution and phase composition of the nanoparticles on GNSs could be controlled by changing the theoretical Ni loading level. The morphology and dispersity of Ni nanoparticles on GNSs did not significantly change after long-time or high-power ultrasonic treatment, suggesting that the adsorption strength between Ni nanoparticles and GNSs was relatively large and belonged to chemical adsorption based on first-principle calculation. Ni atoms tend to adsorb in the center of the carbon six-membered ring. The obtained Ni-GNSs nanohybrid exhibited a small size, fewer defects, and higher crystallinity and adsorption strength when the theoretical Ni loading was 17 mol %. The results have potential applications in the design of the reinforced phase of composites. Full article

The present work focuses on the investigation of both microstructure and resulting mechanical properties of different lean medium Mn Quenching and Partitioning (Q&P) steels with 0.2 wt.% C, 1.5 wt.% Si, and 3–4 wt.% Mn. By means of dilatometry, a significant influence of the Mn-content on their transformation behavior was observed. Light optical and scanning electron microscopy (LOM, SEM) was used to characterize the microstructure consisting of tempered martensite (α’’), retained austenite (RA), partially bainitic ferrite (α_B), and final martensite (α’_final) formed during final cooling to room temperature (RT). Using the saturation magnetization measurements (SMM), a beneficial impact of the increasing Mn-content on the volume fraction of RA could be found. This remarkably determined the mechanical properties of the investigated steels, since the larger amount of RA with its lower chemical stabilization against the strain-induced martensite transformation (SIMT) highly influenced their overall stress-strain behavior. With increasing Mn-content the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) rose without considerable deterioration in total elongation (TE), leading to an enhanced combination of strength and ductility with UTS × TE exceeding 22,500 MPa%. However, for the steel grades containing an elevated Mn-content, a narrower process window was observed due to the tendency to form α’_final. Full article

Titanium composite strengthened by Ti₃Al precipitations is considered to be one of the excellent materials that is widely used in engineering. In this work, we prepared a kind of Ti-Ti₃Al metallic composite by in-situ synthesis technology during the SLM (selective laser melting) process, and analyzed its microstructure, wear resistance, microhardness, and compression properties. The results showed that the Ti-Ti₃Al composite, prepared by in-situ synthesis technology based on SLM, had more homogeneous Ti₃Al-enhanced phase dispersion strengthening structure. The grain size of the workpiece was about 1 μm, and that of the Ti₃Al particle was about 200 nm. Granular Ti₃Al was precipitated after the aluminum-containing workpiece formed, with a relatively uniform distribution. Regarding the mechanical properties, the hardness (539 HV) and the wear resistance were significantly improved when compared with the Cp-Ti workpiece. The compressive strength of the workpiece increased from 886.32 MPa to 1568 MPa, and the tensile strength of the workpiece increased from 531 MPa to 567 MPa after adding aluminum. In the future, the combination of in-situ synthesis technology and SLM technology can be used to flexibly adjust the properties of Ti-based materials. Full article

In this study, the viscoelastic properties of quartz and kaolin suspensions in seawater were analysed considering two distinct conditions: pH 8 and 10.7. Creep and oscillatory sweep tests provided the rheological parameters. An Anton Paar MCR 102 rheometer (ANAMIN Group, Santiago, Chile) was used with a vane-in-cup configuration, and the data were processed with RheoCompass^TM Light software (ANAMIN Group, Santiago, Chile). The outcomes were associated with the formation of solid species principally composed of magnesium precipitates. The magnesium in solution reduced in the presence of quartz (68 wt %), from 1380 to 1280 mg/L. Since the difference was not large regarding the solid-free seawater, the disposition of solid complexes at pH 10.7 was expected to be similar. The jump in pH caused both yield stress and viscoelastic moduli to drop, suggesting that the solid precipitates diminished the strength of the particle networks that made up the suspension. For the kaolin slurries (37 wt %), the yield stress raised when the pH increased, but unlike quartz, there was significant adsorption of magnesium cations. In fact, the concentration of magnesium in solution fell from 1380 to 658 mg/L. Dynamic oscillatory assays revealed structural changes in both pulps; in particular, the phase angle was greater at pH 8 than at pH 10.7, which indicates that at more alkaline conditions, the suspension exhibits a more solid-like character. Full article

Based on the Kirkaldy-Venugopalan model, a theoretical model for the phase transformation of USIBOR^® 1500 high strength steel was established, and a graph of the phase transformation kinetics of ferrite, pearlite, and bainite were plotted using the software MATLAB. Meanwhile, with the use of the software DYNAFORM, the thermal stamping process of an automobile collision avoidance beam was simulated. The phase transformation law of USIBOR^® 1500 high-strength steel during hot stamping was studied through a simulation of the phase transformation during the pressure holding quenching process. In combination with the continuous cooling transformation (CCT) curve, the cooling rate of quenching must be greater than 27 °C/s to ensure maximum martensite content in the final parts, and the final martensite content increases as the initial temperature of the sheet rises. Full article

Molybdenum has been found to influence the complex precipitation process in a martensitic precipitation hardening stainless steel during aging at 475 °C in several different ways. Three steels with different Mo content (0, 1.2 and 2.3 at.%) were investigated. Studies of the microstructure were performed with atom probe tomography and energy filtered transmission electron microscopy. It is shown that, at the initial stage of aging, a faster nucleation of Cu-rich clusters takes place with increasing Mo content. The Cu-clusters act as precipitation sites for other solute elements and promote the nucleation of Ni-rich phases. During further aging, a higher Mo content in the material instead slows down the growth and coarsening of the Ni-rich phases, because Mo segregates to the interface between precipitate and matrix. Additionally, Mo promotes decomposition of the matrix into α and α′ regions. After longer aging times (>40 h) quasicrystalline Mo-rich R′ phase forms (to a greater extent in the material having the highest Mo content). The observations serve to understand the hardness evolution during aging. Full article

The Finite-element method (FEM) and experiments were used to investigate the geometric factors and material parameter on the strain distribution during tube high-pressure shearing (t-HPS). The results show that t-HPS could be realized successfully either by pressurizing on both ends of the tube, or by pressurizing using the wedge effect; and in both cases, the “dead metal zone” could be found at both ends of the tube. The grain size distribution from the experiment confirmed this strain distribution feature. In the case of t-HPS pressurized using the wedge effect, the half cone angle has little effect on the strain distribution. Decreasing the strain-hardening exponent leads to increased deformation inhomogeneity in both the ideal t-HPS described by theoretical equations and the close to practical t-HPS described by FEM. This feature of t-HPS stands out from other SPD processes like HPT, and makes practical t-HPS behavior more predictable using the analytical formation than any other SPD processes, and places it an advantageous position in understanding the basics of deformation physics through the coupling between practical experiments and theoretical approaches. Full article

In this present study, a new uniform eddy current (UEC) probe with a double-excitation coil and pancake orientation is proposed. It is confirmed that the probe generates a strong magnetic field induction that increases the intensity of uniform eddy currents; moreover, it is found to be more efficient in power consumption for excitation using a finite element simulation. Experiments are performed to detect different flaw lengths and depths on an aluminium plate. The flaw signal detected by the probe indicates a high signal-to-noise ratio and increases as a function of flaw depth. The quantitative evaluation of flaws with the proposed UEC probe is achieved based on experimental results. Full article

In this study, the effects of ultrasonic nanocrystal surface modification (UNSM) technology on the fatigue life of needle roller bearings were investigated. The fatigue life of the untreated and UNSM-treated needle roller bearings was evaluated using a roller fatigue tester at various contact stress levels, under oil lubrication conditions. It was found that the fatigue life of the UNSM-treated needle roller bearing was extended by approximately 34.3% in comparison with the untreated one. The results of the surface roughness and surface hardness of the needle roller bearings before and after UNSM technology were compared and discussed in order to understand the role of UNSM technology in improving fatigue life. It was found that the application of UNSM technology to the needle roller bearings can improve their fatigue life by reducing the friction coefficient and increasing the wear resistance, which may be attributed to the reduction in surface roughness from 0.50 µm to 0.15 µm and also the increase in surface hardness from 58 HRC to 62 HRC. Full article

A new fatigue-testing machine was developed to perform high-cycle multiaxial fatigue tests at 50 Hz, in order to reduce testing time. The developed machine can combine bending and torsion loading and perform fatigue tests at a high frequency, under proportional and non-proportional loading conditions, where the principal stress direction changes during a cycle. The proportional loading is cyclic bending loading, and the non-proportional loading is cyclic, combining bending and reversed torsion loading. In this study, the effectiveness of the testing machine was verified by conducting tests under these loading conditions, using specimens of type 490A hot-rolled steel and type 304 stainless steel. The fatigue life linked to bending loading obtained using the new testing machine was slightly extended compared with that obtained using the conventional fatigue-testing machine. The fatigue life derived as a result of a combination of bending and torsion was comparable to that obtained using the conventional fatigue-testing machine, although a fatigue limit reduction of 100 MPa was observed compared to the former study. The feasibility of tests using the developed multiaxial fatigue-testing machine was confirmed. Full article

The effect of grain orientation on hot cracking susceptibility of selective laser additive manufactured Alloy 718 was investigated by Varestraint testing. Electron backscattered diffraction showed that cracks in heat affected zone (HAZ) of the welded samples occurred in high angle grain boundaries. The extent of HAZ cracking was smaller in samples tested parallel to the elongated grain orientation and larger in samples transverse to the elongated grain orientation. However, for solidification cracking in the weld metal, no significant difference with respect to grain orientation in the base metal was found. Full article

Exotic type deposits include several species of minerals, such as atacamite, chrysocolla, copper pitch, and copper wad. Among these, copper pitch and copper wad have considerable concentrations of manganese. However, their non-crystalline and amorphous structure makes it challenging to recover the elements of interest (like Cu or Mn) by conventional hydrometallurgical methods. For this reason, black copper ores are generally not incorporated into the extraction circuits or left unprocessed, whether in stock, leach pads, or waste. Therefore, to dilute MnO₂, the use of reducing agents is essential. In the present research, agitated leaching was performed to dissolve Mn of black copper in an acidic medium, comparing the use of ferrous ions and tailings as reducing agents. Two samples of black copper were studied, of high and low grade of Mn, respectively, the latter with a high content of clays. The effect on the reducing agent/black copper ratio and the concentration of sulfuric acid in the system were evaluated. Better results in removing Mn were achieved using the highest-grade black copper sample when working with ferrous ions at a ratio of Fe²⁺/black copper of 2/1 and 1 mol/L of sulfuric acid. Besides, the low-grade sample induced a significant consumption of H₂SO₄ due to the high presence of gangue and clays. Full article

Ultrasonic-assisted laser metal deposition(UALMD) technology was used to fabricate Al 4047 parts. The effect of the powder feeding laser power, remelting laser power and ultrasonic power on the relative density of the parts was investigated. The relative density, microstructure and mechanical properties of the specimens obtained by the optimized process parameters were compared with the corresponding properties of the cast alloys. The results showed that dense alloys with a maximum density of 99.1% were prepared using ultrasonic vibration and by remelting the previously deposited layer with the optimized processing parameters, and its density was almost equivalent to that of the cast parts. The microstructure of the samples using optimal laser parameters presented columnar Al dendrites and equiaxed Si particles at the boundary of each deposited layer, while the supersaturated Al solid solution was transformed into equiaxed crystal surrounded by fine fibrous Si phases at the center of the layer. Moreover, the size of the primary Al and the Si particles in the samples produced by UALMD was remarkably refined compared to that of the primary Al and Si particles in the cast structure, resulting in grain refining strengthening. The observed variation in the microstructure had an obvious impact on the tensile properties. The mechanical behavior of the deposit obtained by UALMD revealed superior tensile strength, yield strength and tensile ductility values of 227 ± 3 MPa, 107 ± 4 MPa and 12.2 ± 1.4%, which were approximately 51%, 38% and 56% higher than those of the cast materials, respectively. Full article

Single-phase equiatomic five-element high entropy alloy CoCrFeMnNi was prepared by powder metallurgy. Two materials with ultra-fine-grained microstructure were prepared by spark plasma sintering (SPS) of ball-milled powder at two sintering times (5 and 10 min), assigned as HEA 5 and HEA 10, respectively. Basic microstructural and mechanical properties were evaluated. The median grain size of the microstructures was determined to be 0.4 and 0.6 μm for HEA 5 and HEA 10, respectively. The differences in the microstructure led to a significant change in strength and deformation characteristics evaluated at room temperature. The effect of cyclic loading was monitored by three-point bending fatigue test. The results show that even relatively small change in the microstructure causes a significant effect on fatigue life. The fatigue endurance limit was measured to be 1100 MPa and 1000 MPa for HEA 5 and HEA 10, respectively. The detailed fractographic analysis revealed that abnormally large grains, localised in the microstructure on the tensile loaded surface, were a typical fatigue initiation site. The formation of (nano) twins together with dislocation slips caused the crack nucleation because of the cyclic loading. Full article

This paper evaluates the damage evolution process under extremely low-cycle fatigue (ELCF). The study explores the damage behavior under different stress states. The influence of the multiaxial state of stress on the metal’s life is determined. Two different stress states were examined: (a) axisymmetric and (b) plane-strain. The study is based on the modified Mohr–Coulomb (MMC) ductile fracture criterion that was extended to cover the ELCF regime in a previous research study. Four distinctive geometries are designed to study the effect of different stress states on ELCF life and damage evolution. The damage model is calibrated for life prediction to agree with the ELCF experimental results. The investigation of the damage evolution behavior is dependent on equivalent plastic strain, stress triaxiality, Lode angle, and cyclic loading effect. The damage evolution is extracted from Abaqus finite element simulations and plotted versus the equivalent plastic strain. The damage accumulation shows nonlinear evolution behavior under cyclic loading conditions. SEM images were taken to further study the microscopic failure mechanisms of ELCF. Full article

In this study, high volume fraction B₄C reinforced Al matrix composites were fabricated with a liquid pressing process. Microstructural analysis by scanning electron microscope and a transmission electron microscopy shows a uniform distribution of the B₄C reinforcement in the matrix, without any defects such as pore and unwanted reaction products. The compressive strength and wear properties of the Al7075 matrix and the composite were compared at room temperature, 100, 200, and 300 °C, respectively. The B₄C reinforced composite showed a very high ultimate compression strength (UCS) over 1.4 GPa at room temperature. The UCS gradually decreased as the temperature was increased, and the UCS of the composite at 300 °C was about one third of the UCS of the composite at room temperature. The fractography of the compressive test specimen revealed that the fracture mechanism of the composites was the brittle fracture mode at room temperature during the compression test. However, at the elevated temperature, AMCs had a mixed mode of a brittle and ductile fracture mechanism under the compressive load. The composite produced by a liquid pressing process also showed superior wear resistance compared with the Al matrix. The result of the wear test indicates that the wear loss of the Al matrix at 300 °C was two times higher than that of the AMCs, which is attributed to the formation of a mechanically mixed layer (MML) in the composites at the high temperature. Full article

Elements’ diffusion between Ti-6Al-4V alloy and Al in the process of sliding was investigated from 400 °C to 600 °C. The results showed that the atoms were diffused at the Ti-6Al-4V/Al interface. When sliding at 400 °C and 500 °C, no intermetallic compound was detected on the surface of Ti-6Al-4V alloy. When sliding at 600 °C, intermetallic TiAl₃ was formed and grew on the surface of Ti-6Al-4V alloy. The diffusion thickness of Al atoms on the surface of Ti-6Al-4V alloy increased with increasing time and temperature. The diffusion kinetic equation of Al atoms on the surface of Ti-6Al-4V alloy was successfully established. The diffusion activation energy of Al atoms in the sliding process was calculated to be 28.22 kJ·mol⁻¹ and the dynamic index n was 0.5. The diffusion growth of Al atoms was controlled by normal parabolic law with time. Full article

(1) Background: In today's dentistry, implantology has become a therapeutic resource of choice in certain clinical situations. The design of implants has evolved in several aspects since their inception. Dental implants were initially designed with an external hex connection, although due to force transmission and security in the adjustment of the prosthesis, later implants featured an internal hex connection. This study aims to analyse the mechanical properties of two types of implants (an internal connection and an external connection) from the same manufacturer and their different prosthetic components (union screw between implant and prosthetic abutment, and the abutment itself) when subjected to different types of load. (2) Materials and methods: Intraosseous dental implants of similar shape, design and size, although different in type of connection (external vs. internal), were studied. The specifications of the UNI EN ISO 14801 test standard were used, with all determinations being carried out three times. Finally, the dimensional characterisation of the samples analysed after the dynamic load study was carried out, and the values of both study groups were compared by means of the non-parametric Mann–Whitney U test to find statistically significant differences (p < 0.05). (3) Results: For the static characterisation test, we found between 610.9 N and 986.1 N for the external connection and between 1263.6 N and 1324 N for the internal connection (p = 0.011). All of the dynamic load tests were positive and there was no failure in any of the components studied. (4) Conclusions: After the analysis of the samples studied in vitro, satisfactory results were obtained, demonstrating that both connections can support considerable mechanical loads according to international standards (UNI EN ISO 14801). Full article

The classification, assessment, and estimation of the atmospheric corrosivity are fixed by the ISO 9223 standard. Its recent second edition introduced a new corrosivity category for extreme environments CX, and defined mathematical models that contain dose–response functions for normative corrosivity estimations. It is shown here that application of the ISO 9223 standard to archipelagic subtropical areas exhibits major shortcomings. Firstly, the corrosion rates of zinc and copper exceed the range employed to define the CX category. Secondly, normative corrosivity estimation would require the mathematical models to be redefined introducing the time of wetness and a new set of operation constants. Full article

This study evaluated residual stresses in heat-treated specimens made of 316L stainless steel using FE analysis and compared them with stresses determined by the contour method. Contour method is usually used just for evaluation of residual stresses that are normal to the cut plan. In the current study this approach is extended and both normal and tangential stresses are determined. The specimens were cut using wire electrical discharge machine and the contours of the cut were measured using a coordinate measuring machine. The prior treatment of the specimens was simulated using the finite-element method. An appropriate boundary condition and temperature-dependent material model were employed. The finite-element model was validated against neutron-diffraction measurement data. The results showed a good agreement in normal and tangential directions of stress. Full article

A rapid aging treatment method of Al-7Si-0.55Mg alloy using electric pulse, namely electric pulse aging treatment, is explored in this study. The effect of electric pulse assisted aging on microstructure and properties of Al-7Si-0.55Mg alloy are investigated by means of optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), tensile tests and hardness tests. The results show that the microstructure of the Al-7Si-0.55Mg alloy is effectively refined, and the morphology of eutectic Si changes from long and thin strip to a spherical shape or short rod. The elongation of the Al-7Si-0.55Mg alloy is significantly improved after electric pulse assisted aging, albeit it did slightly compromise the tensile strength. It is important to reduce the aging time by 3 h, saving energy. According to classical nucleation theory, the formula of the phase nucleation rate promoted by an electric pulse was determined. The application of an electric pulse can accelerate the nucleation of phase transformation by decreasing the thermodynamic energy barrier, which increases the nucleation rate and significantly improves the properties of the alloy. It provides an experimental and theoretical basis for the Al-7Si-0.55Mg alloy to obtain good mechanical properties and industrial applications. Full article

In this paper, plain aluminum was chosen as matrix alloy and graphene reinforced aluminum alloy composites was successfully prepared via powder metallurgy approach. Micro-milling experiments were conducted to explore the effect of varying graphene nanoflakes (GNFs) content (0.5%, 1.0%, and 1.5% by weight) on the machinability of composites and their machining results were compared with that of plain aluminum. Chip morphology, milling force, and machined surface morphology were used as the machinability measures. Experiment results showed that when the content of GNFs is less than 1.5%, the grain refinement of GNFs plays a major role. The hardness and density of the composites are increased. When the content of GNFs is more than 1.5%, the agglomeration phenomenon is obvious, which reduces the hardness and density of the composites. Micro-milling results show that the milling force is the highest when the GNFs content is 1%, and curling degree of chips increased as FPT increase for a certain content of graphene of composites. Furthermore, when the content of GNFs in composites is more than 1%, the surface roughness of milling grooves is greatly improved, which may be related to the lubrication of graphene and the formation of continuous chips. Full article

Short crack phenomena are considered important for lamellar structures in γ-TiAl alloys and have been thoroughly investigated in the past. However, the short cracks in the previous studies were nearly all introduced artificially. No particular investigations have looked into the initiation of fatigue short cracks. Therefore, naturally initiated short fatigue cracks at room temperature under two different stress ratios (0.1 and 0.5) were investigated in a near-lamellar γ-TiAl alloy (Ti-45Al-2Mn-2Nb) in this study. The observations show that the fatigue crack initiation behaved differently at low and high stress ratios. At low stress ratio, the specimens failed at lower ultimate stress levels (σ_max = 450 and 475 MPa), and the crack initiated from the cluster of interlamellar fracture near mode-I orientation or stress concentration areas. At the higher stress ratio, the specimens failed at higher but consistent stress levels (σ_max = 560 and 570 MPa), and in the specimen crack initiation areas, the interlamellar fractures were still the primary fracture mode, whereas some were found at tilted angles due to shear deformation. The results suggest that short fatigue cracks can naturally initiate in lamellar γ-TiAl alloys, thus attention should be paid to their microstructure design, surface finishing and cleanliness. Full article

Micro-arc oxidation (MAO) was performed on AZ31 and AZ91 Mg alloys to explore the relationship between Mg substrates and corrosion behaviors of resultant coatings. The microstructure and long-term corrosion performance of the two coatings were investigated. Results showed that MAO coating on AZ91 alloy provided a longer-term corrosion protection to substrate than that on AZ31 alloy, despite having similar microstructure and phase composition. However, once corrosion occurred, the corrosion area of MAO coating on AZ91 alloy enlarged at a faster rate compared to that on AZ31 alloy during immersion tests, and their corrosion morphologies were different. Based on the corrosion features of Mg substrates and MAO coatings, roles of substrates on the corrosion processes of coatings were analyzed. Full article

Shape memory alloys in the form of bars are increasingly used to control structures under seismic loadings. This study investigates the hysteretic behavior and the ultimate energy dissipation capacity of large-diameter NiTi bars subjected to low- and high-cycle fatigue. Several specimens are subjected to quasi-static and to dynamic cyclic loading at different frequencies. The influence of the rate of loading on the shape of the hysteresis loops is analysed in terms of the amount of dissipated energy, equivalent viscous damping, variations of the loading/unloading stresses, and residual deformations. It is found that the log-log scale shows a linear relationship between the number of cycles to failure and the normalized amount of energy dissipated in one cycle, both for low- and for high-cycle fatigue. Based on the experimental results, a numerical model is proposed that consists of two springs with different restoring force characteristics (flag-shape and elastic-perfectly plastic) connected in series. The model can be used to characterize the hysteretic behavior of NiTi bars used as energy dissipation devices in advanced earthquake resistant structures. The model is validated with shake table tests conducted on a reinforced concrete structure equipped with 12.7 mm diameter NiTi bars as energy dissipation devices. Full article

The nature of the thermomechanical processing of materials can be revealed by means of various numerical approaches. The accuracy of a particular model is linked to the boundary conditions employed. Intensive research activities over the past several decades in the field of finite element modeling (FEM) have enabled the development of various processing chains for particular purposes; however, this technique is computationally expensive, and in many instances, the behavior of materials during a processing step is analyzed by highly efficient analytical models. This contribution focuses on the implementation of a recently developed flow-line model (FLM), which enables the effective texture simulation of cold rolling. The results of numerous calculations, performed for a wide spectrum of roll gap geometries and various friction conditions, revealed that the deformation history predicted by the FLM employed was comparable to FEM calculations. A correlation was defined between the FLM model parameters and the rolling process quantitative indicators, implying that this analytical approach is capable of performing simulations of cold rolling without fitting constraints. It was shown that FLM coupled with a Taylor-type homogenization crystal plasticity model (Alamel) could carry out a texture simulation close to the one performed with deformation history obtained by means of FEM. Full article

Shrinkage porosities and non-metallic inclusions are common manufacturing process based defects that are present within cast materials. Conventional fatigue design recommendations, such as the FKM guideline (“Forschungskuratorium Maschinenbau”), therefore propose general safety factors for the fatigue assessment of cast structures. In fact, these factors mostly lead to oversized components and do not facilitate a lightweight design process. In this work, the effect of shrinkage porosities on the fatigue strength of defect-afflicted large-scale specimens manufactured from the cast steel G21Mn5 is studied by means of a notch stress intensity factor-based (NSIF-based) generalized Kitagawa diagram. Additionally, the mean stress sensitivity of the material is taken into account and establishes a load stress ratio enhanced diagram. Thereby, the fatigue assessment approach is performed by utilizing the defects sizes taken either from the fracture surface of the tested specimens or from non-destructive X-ray investigations. Additionally, a numerical algorithm invoking cellular automata, which enables the generation of artificial defects, is presented. Conclusively, a comparison to the results of the experimental investigations reveals a sound agreement to the generated spatial pore geometries. To sum up, the generalized Kitagawa diagram, as well as a concept utilizing artificially generated defects, is capable of assessing the local fatigue limit of cast steel G21Mn5 components and features the mapping of imperfection grades to their corresponding fatigue strength limit. Full article

By computational high-throughput screening, the spontaneous magnetization $M_s$ , uniaxial magnetocrystalline anisotropy constant $K_1$ , anisotropy field $H_a$ , and maximum energy product ${\left(BH\right)}_{\max }$ are estimated for ferromagnetic intermetallic phases with a tetragonal 1-13-X structure related to the LaCo ${}_9$ Si ${}_4$ structure type. For SmFe ${}_{13}$ N, a ${\left(BH\right)}_{\max }$ as high as that of Nd ${}_2$ Fe ${}_{14}$ B and a comparable $K_1$ are predicted. Further promising candidates of composition SmFe ${}_{12}$ AN with A = Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, Ti, V, Al, Si, or P are identified which potentially reach (BH) ${}_{\max }$ values higher than 400 kJ/m ${}^3$ combined with significant $K_1$ values, while containing almost 50% less rare-earth atoms than Nd ${}_2$ Fe ${}_{14}$ B. Full article

Compacted graphite iron (CGI), which is used as a potential material in the auto industry, is a hard-to-machine material for the different minor elements and for the geometry of graphite with grey cast iron. The machinability of CGI in the drilling process was investigated with a 4-mm diameter fine-grain carbide twist drill under four lubrication conditions, dry (no compressed air), dry (with compressed air), MQL 5 ml/h, and MQL 20 mL/h in this paper. The maximum flank wear, types of wear, and cutting loads were studied for identifying the wear mechanism in drilling of CGI. The tool life in the four experiments of CGI drilling is 639 holes, 2969 holes, 2948 holes, and 2685 holes, respectively. The results showed that the main wear mechanism in drilling of CGI is adhesion and abrasion. Carbon, which originates from the graphite of CGI, can improve the lubrication in the drilling process by comparing with MnS in drilling grey cast iron. The thrust force and torque are more than 1000 N and 150 N*cm after 2700 holes in CGI drilling. Drilling of CGI under dry conditions (with compressed air) and MQL 5 ml/h is feasible. Full article

Light alloy machining is a widely implemented process that is usually used in the presence of cutting fluids to reduce wear and increase tool life. The use of coolants during machining presents negative environmental impacts, which has increased interest in reducing and even eliminating their use. In order to obtain ecofriendly machining processes, it will be necessary to suppress the use of cutting fluids, in a trend called “dry machining”. This fact forces machines to work under aggressive cutting conditions, producing adhesion wear that affects the integrity of the parts’ surfaces. This study describes cutting tool wear mechanisms in machining of UNS A92024 samples under dry cutting conditions. Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analysis shows the different compositions of the adhered layers. Roughness is also positively affected by the change of the cutting geometry produced in the tool. Full article