Search Results

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Item
    Internal Crack Initiation and Growth Starting from Artificially Generated Defects in Additively Manufactured Ti6Al4V Specimen in the VHCF Regime
    (Basel : MDPI, 2021) Wickmann, Carsten; Benz, Christopher; Heyer, Horst; Witte-Bodnar, Kerstin; Schäfer, Jan; Sander, Manuela
    The aim of the present work was to investigate the ‘fine granular area’ (FGA) formation based on artificially generated internal defects in additively manufactured Ti6Al4V specimens in the early stage of fatigue crack growth in the ‘very high cycle fatigue’ (VHCF) regime. Fatigue tests were performed with constant amplitude at pure tension-compression loading (R = −1) using an ultrasonic fatigue testing setup. Failed specimens were investigated using optical microscopy, high-resolution ‘scanning electron microscopy’ (SEM), and ‘focused ion beam’ (FIB) techniques. Further, the paper introduces alternative proposals to identify the FGA layer beneath the fracture surfaces in terms of the ‘cross section polishing’ (CSP) technique and metallic grindings with special attention paid to the crack origin, the surrounding microstructure, and the expansion of the nanograin layer beneath the fracture surface. Different existing fracture mechanical approaches were applied to evaluate if an FGA formation is possible. Moreover, the results were discussed in comparison to the experimental findings.
  • Item
    X-ray Ptychographic Imaging and Spectroscopic Studies of Plasma-Treated Plastic Films
    (Basel : MDPI, 2022) Ravandeh, Mehdi; Mehrjoo, Masoud; Kharitonov, Konstantin; Schäfer, Jan; Quade, Antje; Honnorat, Bruno; Ruiz-Lopez, Mabel; Keitel, Barbara; Kreis, Svea; Pan, Rui; Gang, Seung-gi; Wende, Kristian; Plönjes, Elke
    Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a thermoplastic polyester with numerous applications in industry. However, it requires surface modification on an industrial scale for printing and coating processes and plasma treatment is one of the most commonly used techniques to increase the hydrophilicity of the PET films. Systematic improvement of the surface modification by adaption of the plasma process can be aided by a comprehensive understanding of the surface morphology and chemistry. However, imaging large surface areas (tens of microns) with a resolution that allows understanding the surface quality and modification is challenging. As a proof-of-principle, plasma-treated PET films were used to demonstrate the capabilities of X-ray ptychography, currently under development at the soft X-ray free-electron laser FLASH at DESY, for imaging macroscopic samples. In combination with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), this new technique was used to study the effects of different plasma treatment processes on PET plastic films. The studies on the surface morphology were complemented by investigations of the surface chemistry using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). While both imaging techniques consistently showed an increase in roughness and change in morphology of the PET films after plasma treatment, X-ray ptychography can provide additional information on the three-dimensional morphology of the surface. At the same time, the chemical analysis shows an increase in the oxygen content and polarity of the surface without significant damage to the polymer, which is important for printing and coating processes.