Research Terms
A process for age hardening nickel-based alloys to create desirable properties with reduced energy expenditure. The process introduces isolated atom nucleation sites to accelerate the nucleation rate by approximately 36 times, thereby permitting age hardening to occur in significantly less time and with significantly less energy expenditure.
A single-step Direct-Cast Hardening (DiCH) method for making property-gradient low-carbon steel at a lower cost by saving energy and manpower. An ultra-hard layer is introduced at the surface with free oxygen content before solidification and a specific cooling rate during solidification. Samples subjected to hardness tests after processing showed ultra-high levels (4.2GPa Vickers hardness and 6.3GPa nanoindentation hardness). Ultra-high hardness is achieved by a proper mix of acicular ferrite and ultra-fine lath-structured grains (LSG) and a specific cooling rate, which produces refined microstructure and high surface hardness.
