Surface Integrity of DryLyte Samples: Can This Technology Enhance the Surface Properties

Dear Colleagues,

Fabricating ultrafine or nanostructured materials is an important step in advancing materials research due to their outstanding strength and their usually limited uniform elongation compared to coarse-grained counterparts, as indicated by the well-known Hall–Petch relationship. In this sense, improving the mechanical properties of structural metals has been extensively reported. It is commonly accepted that pre-deformation greatly affects the deformation behaviors of metals. However, a significant drawback of the achieved structures is their poor thermal stability as a consequence of their highly unstable substructural features.

Generally, failure of materials begins on the surface, when materials are subjected to severe working service-like conditions (i.e., fatigue, wear, and/or corrosion). In this sense, reducing roughness can provide an increase in the durability of the material, as it is possible to drop the friction coefficient raising the wear and fatigue resistance. Additionally, smoother surface avoids irregularities that tend to generate nucleation sites for cracks or corrosion. However, for some applications it is also important to maintain the surface compressive residual stresses induced by the as-built parts, as they are also responsible for the resistance increase under wear and fatigue conditions. To achieve these requirements, the dimensional accuracy must also be added to preserve the final geometry of the pieces. Therefore, the final polish surface after post-processing techniques becomes a key factor in order to improve the material’s service lifetime. Hence, it is necessary to slightly polish the specimen though post-processing techniques in order to minimize the roughness, without considerably affecting both the compressive residual stresses and the final geometry, among others.

Within the aforementioned information, DryLyte® technology represents an effective surface finishing technique, which follows the same principle as a traditional electrolytic cell, but in this case the electrolytic medium is a non-conductive solid rather than a liquid. From the last decade, this technology has been attracting much attention compared to conventional ones due to the selective smoothing of the surface technique, interacting only with the roughness peaks and not in the valley, etc.

In this Special Issue, an open access forum is provided for contributions to the investigation of different aspects on metallic components and alloys. Researchers may share their findings on the latest ongoing research and development activities, on the current state-of-the-art, and on prior history. Both research papers and reviews are highly welcome.

The Special Issue will include (but is not limited to) the following topics: correlation between mechanical properties and microstructure of specimens superficially treated with this technology; microstructures and their development, including phase equilibrium and transformations; thermomechanical stability; corrosion resistance; mechanical performance with strength, toughness, impact, and fatigue behavior; and formability, covering rolling and welding, among others.

Dr. Joan Josep Roa
Guest Editor

Guiomar Riu Perdrix
Guest Editor Assistant

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