Interdisciplinary Advanced Forming Research Centre, Univ of Strathclyde "The Tech", One of 7 Members of the Advanced Manufacturing Consortium

NEWS RELEASE & PERSONAL NOTES:

This post arose from a short note in the Strathclyde Quarterly Alumni Mag., Autumn 2011. and a real pleasure to see that the once proud Metallurgy Department-Colville Building has prominent place in the new Advanced Manufacturing Consortium (even if Sheffield houses a couple of Centres, cf. ref.1, below and the metals recycling spin-off was cornered by Heriot-Watt 's Caledonian Aerotech. cf refs.3 & 4, below) The notes in parenthesis are more than sour grapes they are intended to keep my colleagues up-north on their toes...
 Now it is also encouraging to learn that, fittingly, my old outfit  Aubert & Duval-Imphy  are among the sponsors, cf. ref.3.

The Advanced Forming Research Centre (AFRC) is a collaborative venture between the University of Strathclyde, Scottish Enterprise,the Scottish Government and internationally renowned engineering firms including Rolls‐Royce, Boeing, Mettis Aerospace, TIMET, Aubert and Duval Aubert and Duval and Barnes Aerospace.

Formally opened in January 2011 by HRH the Duke of York, the AFRC represents a total investment of £30M over 5 years.

The Centre undertakes fundamental and applied  research, and develops cutting‐edge forming and forging techniques to support manufacturing processes in the aerospace, energy, marine and
automobile industries.

Key manufacturing challenges:
-Tighter tolerances: Plant monitoring, control and robotics.
-Longer die life: Improved die design and use.
-Lubrication: Investigating mechanisms and improved lubricants.
Improved models: Microstructure, properties and probabilistic methods

This post could and should, given time, be extended to give much credit to the UK, Innovation Strategy Initiative

References


1. Innovate UK_newsletter 01_june2011 [pdf]

2. Technology Strategy Board


3. Materials Science and Technology, Feb. 1985, Vol 1- 1st Issue.  strong evidence of work done at AD_Imhpy (Imphy SA at the time) In fact much more was achieved, from initiating the industrial aceptation of the project requested by GE-SNECMA, to the industrial realisations to tight tolerances Chemistry, Microstracture, cleanness, equivalence of virgin materials and recycled aero-engine scrap material,  imposed by client QC-AQ procedures

Recycled alloy718 supplied by Ireland Alloys Ireland Alloys in Blantyre, Scotland now part of Murry Metals Grp 1982 to 1986. Excellent source.


4. Caledonian Aerotech
Caledonian Aerotech has carved a lucrative niche in the multi-billion dollar global aerospace market by recycling and processing the special alloys used in the production of aircraft engines, land-based turbines and in the petrochemical industries.

A core process is recovering the metal left after machining, then cleaning, grading and preparing it to be returned as ‘chips’ to specialist melters for re-use, (PS shunned upon by Aerospacial Toulouse now EADS for aluminium-lithium [Al-Li alloys] in 1988! but registered in my report to Airbus Industry on Materials Selection 1988.

Metallurgy for dummies_Just added to my blog list

I blogged this item with a colleague's project in mind "Writing elementary materials science lectures"

The topics in this blog are up-to-date subjects, images are good but for educational material I believe our college and fellow IOM3 member will bring the necessary underlying scientific principles to light/

Anyway here is the blog link which may also be found by scrolling right down to the very foot of my page...

Metallurgy for dummies

I shall be pleased to pass on any further information on such approaches to our fellow materials science colleague.

Good luck and best wishes to all contributors

Engineering Courses in Ontario Canada options and degree courses in Metallurgy and Metallurgical Transformation

Let me give readers another perspective and highly successful approach to Engineering. Engineering Courses in Ontario Canada brought my attention to Conestoga Community College a most fruitful window on education and employment in Ontario, Canada.

Conestoga is a young University and Polytechnic with an enviable record:

-Since it's inauguration in 1967, it has been rated N°1 College in Ontario for nine of the last eleven years.

-Graduate job placement rate is 94.2% six months after graduation.

-Conestoga is an outstanding Polytechnical Institute and a founding member of Polytechnics Canada

-Full-time Students: 8,500 - Apprenticeship Students: 4,000 - Part-time Students: 38,000

-40% of all adults in Waterloo Region have taken at least one course at Conestoga.

-Conestoga graduates annually inject $1.4 billion into the local economy.

-It offers 120 full-time programs, 37 apprenticeship related programs, 7 four-year bachelor degree programs, 3 collaborative degrees, 25 post-graduate certificates and over 100 part-time programs.

-Conestoga has six campuses: Doon (Kitchener), Waterloo, Guelph, Stratford, Cambridge and Ingersoll.

-Conestoga’s loan default rate is the lowest in the province at 6.8%. We attribute this, at least partially, to the fact so many of our students get excellent jobs after graduation! Last year Conestoga provided $20 million in student loans.

AIMS
-To champion innovation and excellence in education and training.
-To serve responsibly the diverse and ever-changing needs of the community.
-To inspire students and employees to strive toward their highest potential.

METALLURGY and MECHANICAL PROCESS ENGINEERING

-Powder Metallurgy.
-Welding
-BSc in Applied Mechanical Systems-extrusion, wire and bar drawing, sheet metal working, powder metallurgy

-MSc and BSc degrees conferred[Pdf]

MORE on Conestoga :

-Introduction,
-Community-Colleges Index.htmls.net
-reports

Canadian Colleges and Cegeps – « Collège d'enseignement général et professionnel ».

Canada currently has 146 colleges and cegeps in 115 towns and cities covering 13 provinces and territories. We provide access to all the key information you need to know about each community college, technical college or cegep in Canada. You can browse colleges by city or province. Each college listing will provide information such as number of students, contact info, admissions, tuition fees, financial aid and interesting facts about the college. You can also access our college program directory if you are looking for information about a specific program or area of study.

More on education in Ontario

All Canada

HOT TOPIC: The Use of Computer Aided Metallurgy, The People, The Subjects, The Organisations,The Place, The Practice.

OPTIMoM: Optimising Performancee Through Integrated Modelling of Microstructure

STARTS: Sunday 26 September 2010, Cambridge, UK. Recording for WWW interested professionals who are unable to attend but would like further information and research themes upon which it is worth scouring the web. 

Use of Computer Aided Metallurgy in co-development of aircraft structure and materials
S van der Veen (from Airbus, (France)

ICME (Integrated Computational Microstructural engineering) - Are we there yet?
D Furrer (Rolls-Royce Corporation, USA)

Modelling and Simulation of Materials in UK Power Generation
K Jackson (NAMTEC, UK)

Monday 27 September 2010, Session 1
Physics Based Principles and Models for Developing Optimised Microstructures
M Finnis (Imperial College London)

Thermodynamic and Kinetic Simulation of Microstructure Evolution
I Steinbach (Ruhr-University Bochum ICAMS)

Mesoscale and Atomistic Modeling and Simulation of Grain Growth on the Nanoscale
RD Kamachali (Ruhr-University Bochum ICAMS)

Computational Crystal Plasticity
D Raabe (Max-Planck Fur Eisenforschung)

Development and Application of the Kampann and Wagner Numerical Model to Predict Precipitate Evolution in Complex Industrial Alloys
J Robson (University of Manchester)

Quantitative Phase-Field Modelling of Coupled Thermo-Solutal Growth at High Lewis Number
A.M. Mullis (University of Leeds?)


Session 2
Progress and Challenges in the Prediction of Relevant Microstructural Features During Primary Processing of Titanium Alloys
S Fox (Timet)

Validation of a Multiscale 3D Model of the Vacuum Arc Remelting Process
RM Ward (University of Birmingham)

Ultrasonic Inspectability and Modelling of Microstructure Evolution During Hot Working in a Nickel-base Superalloy.
C Dumont (Aubert et Duval)

Level Set Framework for the Numerical Modelling of Recrystallisation and Zener Pinning
M Bernacki (CEMEF-MINES Paris Tech)

Risk Base Process Design of Titanium Rotor Forgings with High-Risk Low-Frequency Anomalies: a Mult-Body FEM Approach
R Shivpuri (OSU)

Predicting Hot Deformation and Microstructural Evolution in IN718: The Influence of Delta-Phase
M Rist (The Open University)

Modeling of Beta-Alpha Transformation in Complex Titanium Alloys
B Appolaire ONERA

Microstructural Modelling Applied to the Design and Control of the Steel Plate Rolling Process
M Steeper (Siemens VAI Sheffield, UK)

Investigating Recrystallisation in Titanium Alloys using EBSD
B Wynne (Sheffield University)

Tuesday 28 September 2010 Back to top, Session 3

Material-Behavior and Process Models for Aerospace Alloys
L Semiatin(ARFL-Air Force Research Laboratory)

Modelling of Microstructural Evolution in MCrAlX Coated Superalloy Systems
M Karunaratne (Loughborough University)

Modelling the In-service Microstructural Evolution of Ni-based Superalloys for Power Generation
S Gill (University of Leicester)

Flying Cyberalloys: Science-Based Design and Qualification
C Kuehmann (QuesTek Innovations LLC)

Precipitation Modeling of Multi-Component Alloys
W Cao (CompuTherm LLC)

Computational Thermodynamics, Neural Networks and Genetic Algorithms: Tools to Design New Superalloys
F Tancret (Université de Nantes)

Predicting Fatigue Failure Using Intrinsic Material Properties and Simulations
R Tryon (Vextec)

Precipitation Kinetics Simulation and Its Application in Creep and Intergranular Stress Corrosion Cracking Modelling
R G Faulkner, Y Yin (Loughborough University)


Session 4

Integrated Modelling of the Effect of Solidification Microstructures on Final Properties in Aluminium Alloy Automotive Components
P Lee (Imperial College London) Materials Dept. Engineering Faculty

Alloy Design Approaches for Single Crystal Superalloys
R.C. Reed (The University of Birmingham)

The Application of Microstructure and Property Modelling to the Prediction of Forged Component Performance
J Brooks (Strathclyde University,AFRC-Advanced Forming Research Centre) Partners, Members NB Aubert et Duval-Imphy

Extending the concept of thermodynamic TDB files....
P Mason  Thermo-Calc Software Inc

Accelerating Insertion of Materials at GE Aviation
E Huron (GE Aviaton)

Optimising Component Design Through Integrated Computational Materials Engineering
L Christodoulou [pdf] (DARPA-Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency)

Product Design Chain Optimisation Ignoring the Effect of the Manufacturing Process
N Gramegna ((Enginsoft SPA)


Online Registration and full details

FURTHER READING
ASM Handbook Volume 22A: Fundamentals of Modeling for Metals Processing

RELATED POSTS:

Multiscale modelling of materials,MMM - Introduction and Explanatory Notes; Refs.,Images, on a Hot Interdisciplinary field
Read more: http://materialsscienceengineeringdefined.blogspot.com/2010/02/multiscale-modelling-of-materials.html#ixzz0zcbWA9Vg
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution Share Alike

Advanced Material Coatings for High Strength, High Conductivity Substrates from Innocentive

Advanced Material Coatings for High Strength, High Conductivity Substrate



presented by INNOCENTIVE

The Seeker is looking for advanced materials (alloys, metal composites, advanced coatings, surface treatments, etc.) to be used as the contact surface of a high speed rail system. The conductive material must withstand thermal, mechanical and electrical cycling while still retaining surface hardness and strength properties.


This Challenge is an Ideation Challenge, which varies from traditional InnoCentive challenges in the following ways:

• There is a guaranteed award. The awards will be paid to the best submission(s), which are solely determined by the Seeker. The total payout will be $10,000. The Seeker can payout as one award or split it among the best submissions. One award will be at least $5,000 and no award will be less than $1,000.
• Your submission will identify and describe a material/process that meets the requirements of the Challenge. You are required to give the Seeker a free, perpetual, and non-exclusive license to use any information submitted for this Challenge.

The Seeker will complete the review process and make a decision after the Challenge deadline. All Solvers that provide a submission will be notified as to the status of their submission; however, there will not be any detailed evaluation of your submission given. 

MORE...

Metaklett-steel grips, Biomimicry and Shape Memory Alloy meanders

One rarely gets a chance, when talking of innovations in the very mature steel industry, to slip in such recent fields such as:

A. Biomimicry, ‘Learning from Nature’, whereby scientific and engineering innovations are inspired by performances and functionalities observed in Nature, its models, systems, processes, and elements— and emulates them to solve human problems and meet human requirements.

B. Shape Memory Alloys the metallurgists contribution to the overall field of so called ‘intelligent or smart materials’ and


This opportunity, rife with menace, arose and matured following the public announcement on 3-Sep-2009 by the Technical University of Munich, (TUM.) of their new clip and close, pull and open, hook and loop fastener steel strips. The news was rapidly up-taken by several of the main science magazines cf. Acknowledgements below.

The new invention, called "Metaklett", uses the same hook-and-loop fastening system as Velcro but can support loads of up to 35 tonnes per square metre at temperatures as high as 1,472F (800C) thus earning the coined denomination of Steel 'Velcro®'.

Like the popular fabric fastener, Metaklett is designed to be peeled apart and reused, making it a potentially useful and cost-effective engineering component.

Strips of the 'super-strength adhesive' are just 0.2mm thick, with the delicate steel hooks capable of attaching themselves to the loops at almost any angle.

The fastener has been developed by a team at the Institute of Metal Forming and Casting at TUM.

“The unbeatable advantage of a hook and loop fastener is that it is easy to close and open again, and just like everyday 'Velcro® like materials, it can be opened up without specialised tools and used again." reports Josef Mair, a scientist at the Institute,

In addition to bearing heavier loads, the invention has advantages over synthetic fasteners in that it can withstand both high temperatures and corrosive chemicals, claim the research team.

[Effectively high-temperature and corrosion resistance coupled with workability,and cost effectiveness of a mature industry are just a few of the very important properties only currently found in steels and alloys.-JA]

“Things can get very hot, for example, in the automotive sector. A car parked in direct sunlight can reach temperatures of 80 °C, and temperatures of several hundred degrees centigrade can arise around the exhaust manifold," quoting Mair. [still not the upper limit of 800°C or red hot-JA]

"Aggressive disinfectants are used for cleaning purposes in hospitals, and traditional hook, and loop fasteners are too weak for use in the construction of building façades. Metaklett has been developed for use in car construction and air-conditioning systems, but its creators claim that it could be turned to any number of applications.

These fasteners are resistant to chemicals and can withstand a tensile load of up to 35 tonnes per square meter, their mechanical advantage-(cf.definition on Wikipedia) at temperatures as high as 800°C. [from memory that's red hot!-JA ]

BIOMIMICRY:

Biomimicry’s most famous example which incidentally helps date contemporary biomimicry science:

A fairly good account of the Velcro biomimicry invention may be found on Wikipedia search Velcro History. cf. also "How a Swiss invention hooked the world" on swissinfo,by Thomas Stephens.

In 1941, not in 1948 as is often quoted. apparently, de Mistrals was inspired to create the hook and loop fastener after taking his dog out for a walk. Upon returning home from the walk, he noticed that his dog and his pants were covered with Cockle-burrs or abbreviated often to burrs.

Intrigued, he discovered that the cockleburrs had tiny hooks all around it which allowed them to stay attached to both the hair of his dog and the fabric of his pants.


The cockleburrs inspired de Mestral to create a fastener of his own. After a few years, he was able to perfect his idea and he created the Velcro® brand hook and loop fastener. He originally patented his invention in Switzerland in 1951.

Velcro hook and loop fasteners can be made of many things—the first sample was made of cotton, which proved to be impractical.[3] Nylon and polyester[4] are the fibers most commonly used now. Velcro fasteners made of Teflon loops, polyester hooks, and glass backing are used on space shuttles.[4] [3,4 cf. Wikipedia]

It is worth recalling to inventors-innovators that there are variations on the standard Velcro hook and loop fasteners: one of which, for example, includes hooks on both sides. However these are not common. Alternatives to Velcro brand fasteners are buttons, zippers, laces and buckles.

Metaklett claim to carry this a couple of steps further, combining high temperature strength coupled with corrosion resistance properties.

More on Inventor Strategies... and scroll to list of famous inventors.


Metaklett claim to carry this a couple of steps further, combining high temperature strength coupled with corrosion resistance properties.

What materials are involved?

"The researchers opted to use spring steel,as the material for their fastener in order ensure high ductility with high strength. They created various three-dimensional models for the optimum interlocking of the fastener elements on the computer. They then built the most promising candidates as prototypes and subjected them to comprehensive tests. Around 40 variations of the geometry referred to as "Flamingo" alone were tested on the computer. The researchers studied its adhesive strength and reaction to extreme temperatures to establish the limits of its resilience.

[Normally high-temperature materials must be tested for creep and corrosion resistance for atmospheric corrosion degradation? Here is a new selector steel data site LINK - cf. 18Cr-10Ni, 304 stainless steel, for example - JA]

Two of the tested models ultimately made the grade: a spring lock, the Flamingo, and a hook and loop system known as the Entenknopf (duck's head). Both consist of 0.2-mm-thick hook tape and loop or perforated tape of the same thickness. The "duck's head" model is based on the traditional synthetic hook and loop system. Numerous delicate steel hooks can attach at any angle to the loops in the perforated metal loop tape.

A very full account of the hook and loop design geometry including virtual motion images of both fasteners operating principles Eurekalert LINK

Far less technical information is available online concerning the "selected spring steel materials" which are likely to respond to high-temperature, corrosion resistant steels and refractory alloys nor the durability of 0.2mm steel strip with intricate geometries and for what duration?

Are "Spring Steels" or "Metaklett" Shape Memory Alloys SMA's?

By asking this rather "out of the box" question, some interesting ideas for future consideration arise.

Strictly speaking conventional metallurgical knowledge returns a definate no to the lead question above. Spring steels depend rather on elastic deformation represented by a linear relationship between stress (force/unit area) and strain (deformation or displacement ie. elongation) They do not undergo structural phase transformation. In other words they obviously undergo cyclic stretching and relaxation of the interatomic bonds and groups-networks of bonds called crystals-lattices. They do not undergo or depend on for their shape memory function on cyclic structural phase change. Nevertheless many steel grades depending on the heat treatment have a structure called Martensite which is part of the common denominator of most if not all SMA's.

An excellent hyperlinked introductory source illustrating both spring steels,martensite and shape memory alloys link

hysteresis property whereby a given shape at a given temperate may be "memorised" and cycled between two shapes.


With the one-way effect, cooling from high temperatures does not cause a macroscopic shape change. A deformation is necessary to create the low-temperature shape. On heating, transformation starts at As (austenitic transformation start temperature) and is completed at Af (finish) (typically 2 to 20 °C or hotter, depending on the alloy or the loading conditions). As is determined by the alloy type and composition. It can be varied between −150 °C and maximum 200 °C.


The two-way shape memory effect is the effect that the material remembers two different shapes: one at low temperatures, and one at the high temperature shape. This can also be obtained without the application of an external force (intrinsic two-way effect). The reason the material behaves so differently in these situations lies in training. Training implies that a shape memory can "learn" to behave in a certain way. Under normal circumstances, a shape memory alloy "remembers" its high-temperature shape, but upon heating to recover the high-temperature shape, immediately "forgets" the low-temperature shape. However, it can be "trained" to "remember" to leave some reminders of the deformed low-temperature condition in the high-temperature phases. There are several ways of doing this.
LINK

Here is a 45s video demonstrating the Shape Memory effect. LINK


Lou Reade, in Materials World 01 Aug. 9 reports on one high safety requirement SMA

“In the case of the diving helmet, Nitinol and Aramid fibre are joined together using an automated technique called warp knitting. A high-energy collision forces the material to change between two different sold states, giving rise to energy dissipation that improves impact resistance.

The programmed shape, to which the SMAs revert to, is set by heating the material to 400ºC. One challenge for researchers was reducing this level for hybrid materials. 'At these temperatures, most conventional textiles will burn,’ notes Rehm of The Institute of Physics at the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic who have developed a heat treatment technique for SMAs that works below 200ºC, and whose patent is pending.”
cf. Materials World 01 Aug. 9 for the full news item.

Returning to Metaklett.
One can expect further developments, judging by the industrial and early financial support for these innovations,

Industrial Project Partners
Reinz global automotive supplier
in the fields of metallic gaskets, including head gaskets, thermal and acoustic shielding valve covers.
Stamping and Precision Engineering
Koenig Connection Ltd.,a series supplier of fasteners in the automotive industry.
R&D.

Financial Backing
This research project is / was supported by funds from the Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) within the "Research for the production of tomorrow" by the developer and the Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe, Production and Manufacturing Technologies

Link:MetaKlett-Website(German)
I used Google's Translator to get a reasonable understanding.

NB
35 tonnes per square meter when tensile force is applied parallel to the fastener surface. When it is applied perpendicular to the fastener surface, Metaklett can still withstand a force of seven tonnes per square meter
New Steel 'Velcro' -
-3.5kg/ square cm or 35tonnes/m^2 ie. 3.5 kg/cm^2 in horizontal tension or pull.
-0.7kg/ sq cm or 7tonnes/m^2 ie. 0.7kgs/cm^2 in ‘shear’_vertical position
Cf. Old industrial grade velcro comment on New Scientist.
- 3.1 kgs/ square cm
And again Velcro on Wikipedia
- 175lbs /in^2 roughly 3kg/cm^2


Temperature is therefore a critical factor in projected applications.

Sources: New Scientist comments below and Wikipedia.

References and Acknowledgements:

How a Swiss invention hooked the World_George de Mestral

Eurekalert LINK

MetaKlett-Website (German)

Spring Steel summary with typical grades and Heat-Treatment structural changes outlined via TTT - Time-Temperature-Transformation Diagrammes with when available, Environmental Data
'conventional spring steel on a new site Matbase'

Martensite

spring steels,martensite and shape memory alloys link

SMA mechanism LINK for structure and shape change between higher temperature austenite and lower temperature martensitic phase.

Materials World 01 Aug. 9

Acknowledgements .
1. New Scientist NB Comments.
2.The Telegraph, UK. 8 Sept.09

My ebooks : Combining old and new to squeeze every part per billion (ppb) of profit from Steel Scrap

First published as CPS: physchem/0303001 on ChemWeb now only archives available.
ebook_Metallurgical Analysis of Hot Shortness Case Study, Combinatorial Methods

Carbon Dioxide Reduction Technologies - Get Help from Extraction Metallurgists

North American Extractive Metallurgical Communities recognise that Worldwide commitments to reduce CO2 emissions to pre-1990 levels in the next 12 to 13 years pose a formidable challenge.



Some metal ores are converted to metals using energy other than carbon-based fuels—such as electricity. CO2, and H2O—which are similar to metal ores (oxides, sulphides etc.) and can be modified to non-global-warming forms by techniques well known to extractive metallurgists.

It is in these layman terms that N R. Neelameggham, introduced his excellent summary of the Transactions of the (US) Materials Society - TMS Symposium 2008 dedicated to CO2 reduction Technologies.

"When converting minerals into metals, energy is consumed. Even though energy in various forms can be used in achieving this conversion, or reduction, typically a reductant that can carry the anion of the mineral away from the desired element is used. The potential for economic production of common fuels from the respective oxides of carbon (CO2) and hydrogen(H20) by simple chemical reductions was the inspiration for the CO2 Reduction Metallurgy Symposium at the TMS 2008 Annual Meeting."

Several clear statements emerge :

1. The world needs fuels in all three states of matter: solid, liquid, and gaseous. Naturally available solar, wind, and hydro-energy (marine, wave) can be converted into the mobile forms of fuel(nb. position on the Venn Diag. above) by using carbon dioxide and water. When such conversions can be affordably achieved, perhaps one cause of global warming— carbon emissions—will be minimized.

2. Most of the gaseous emissions from the use of fuels are emitted at temperatures higher than ambient temperature. This mass of gases, when mixed with ambient atmosphere, increases the atmospheric air mass temperature. Present-day fuels release both CO2 and H2O, along with hot air, in their exhaust. Of these, the non-condensable CO2 (under atmospheric conditions) continues to increase and is easily measured. In addition, these tri-atomic molecules participate in the radiative heat transfer in the atmosphere [whereby the balance is heat-warming compared to a H20 base-line, hence the label "Greenhouse gas"-JA].

3. Unless another cooling medium can dissipate this thermal emission by some other mechanism, global warming will persist. We can only minimize the rate of global warming and not eliminate it as long as the energy conversion from one form to another happens with certain uncontrolled emission of heat. This necessitates the reduction of thermal emission and its constituents. Minimizing the temperature of gaseous emissions by simple methods will go a long way toward minimizing the rate of increase in atmospheric temperatures.

4. Extractive metallurgists can reduce any oxide compound to its elemental form. Examples of this are the making of iron from iron oxides, aluminum from aluminum oxides, and hydrogen from hydrogen oxide (or water). Carbon dioxide is just like any other oxide and can be reduced to its respective elements by applied energy, a process that could minimize the amount of CO2 released in the air and result in improved fuel self sufficiency.

More...

The symposium was divided into three major sessions [pdf link]:

1. Mechanisms (5 papers)

2. Ferrous metallurgy (5 papers), and

3. Electrolytic approaches (7 papers)

introduced by a Keynote address by Meyer Steinberg, ex-Brookhaven National Laboratory, co-author with M. Halmann, of a detailed treatise Greenhouse Gas Carbon Dioxide Mitigation: Science and Technology based on more than 30 years each of expertise in this field

M. Steinberg’s review covered the principles of removal and recovery from power plant stacks, the oceanographic and geological disposal of CO2, and the conversion of CO2 to gaseous and liquid transportation fuels.

This symposium is the first of its kind in applying extractive metallurgy techniques.

It is complimentary to several international conferences on CO2 utilization. There have been eight such symposia so far, the last of which was held in Oslo, Norway in 2005, which by chance, allows me to introduce CO2 uses and eventually the Carbon Economy and Industries[pdf conf outline-link] as referenced in the Venn Diagramme above ),2 and minor symposia on the subject by the American Chemical Society, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, Electrochemical Society, etc., in promoting pertinent know-how in solving these global concerns.

Approaches to CO2 emission reductions in metal production by improved energy efficiency in life-cycle fuel use, (cf. recent posts on LCA-Life Cycle Analysis 1. previous post and 2. JM Pearce's et al approach for example) , reduction in carbonate based flux/raw material usage, and thermodynamically feasible reactions leading to lower emissions are all part of this program.

The topics discussed give useful pointers to researchers, project managers and business innovators.
More...

CO2 Chemistry


UK Extractive Metallurgy Resource cf Journal Cover





Warning- It is well worth periodically reading-up and checking-out Climate Change and GHG effects at the "Source"

Sources:
1. Most reputed blog: RealClimate ™
2. The World Authority UN - IPCC
3. My Blogs eg Conversations give various links as I build my knowledge base.


PS:Ours is a very energy intensive industry. I still believe that current official policy, strong recommendations-EU directives... to sink CO2 must not be hindered by our current professional tastes. Such policy choices are made taking into account multiple criterion: people (are still people), societal, technological, powerful lobbies... They must be taken seriously-more seriously than at present. LCA appears to be the only objective, correct, way forward in all our professional activities. Indeed it ought to start in the Lab. and in University education irrespective of you religous faith, or not:
"remember your creator
or if you prefer more order
the atoms and molecules
you are now made of
in the days of your youth!"

Comments, suggestions, information, or question welcome.

Rust cleans up pollution_From the previous post of Top 100 Materials Science Stories - My biased choice - "Got Pollution? Get Rust from 2003"

1,000-square-foot plot at a pharmaceutical plant in North Carolina using just $1,000 in raw materials has been decontaminated by Wei-Xian Zhang, an environmental engineer at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania.

The scientific methode : 20 pounds of iron nanoparticles—superfine iron dust.

As iron rusts, it unleashes electrons that can break down organic pollutants such as dioxins, PCBs, and many pesticides. By growing iron atoms into incredibly small particles, Zhang increases the number of electrons they release as much as 1,000-fold. He then mixes the ultrafine powder with water so it can be pumped into the ground. A few days after injecting the iron powder into contaminated land, all that is left behind are simple, nontoxic hydrocarbons. The iron dust eventually dissolves harmlessly into the groundwater. Early next year, Zhang plans a larger test, treating a 100-acre site in North Carolina. He is also developing a commercial version of the process.

Since this work was reported in 2003, more results and the success or failure to reach the original expectations must be known. Looking forward to up-dating this advanced metallurgical chemical and biochemical engineering interdisciplinary work.

It goes without saying that both I and Discover Magazine would be pleased to learn of readers top pick, cf Full List Link below.

Source:

1. Got Pollution? Get Rust reported by Kathy A. Svitil was published online December 3, 2003

2 Full Materials Science List 1993 to Date_Link

Metallurgy and Mechanical Engineering Journal of the Brazilian Society of Mechanical Sciences and Engineering

Serendipity or rather signing-up for a Google Alert for the new record breaking R and D achievement, Inverse Temperature HSLA-High Strength Low Alloy Steels, (cf. my earlier post - challenge) introduced me to the excellent, Journal of the Brazilian Society of Mechanical Sciences and Engineering.

Several papers have already been brought to my attention. It is with pleasure that I invite colleagues to join me in reading their favourite subjects-alerts not forgetting to support Brazil's efforts to save the planets rain-forests - by the excellence of our professional skills in metallurgical exergy and information-entropy theory -fairly shared.

NB. Free online with the usual restrictions (for personal use etc. cf policy) The journal should be abbreviated in citations as J. Braz. Soc. Mech. Sci. & Eng.

Good luck, make good use of this resource and best wishes over the festive season and beyond.

Hypertext Enhanced Materials Science Paper - Semicon Fab. from TMS, and CSE considerations

I have just tried my CSE - Customised Search Engine on my "conversations-on-innovations" web-log site, with the key words "Innovation, Challenges" to check my two new Challenge posted links Innocentive -Boston Area & NineSigma-Chicago. Well I still have some work To Be Do (TBD)-It did turn-up Innocentive,my old partner but not my new found friends at NineSigma. Another reason to read these blogs "n'est ce pas"! It did turn-up some very interesting links including blogs on innovation. However, it did turn up the following Materials Science - Semiconductor, Microtech /Nanotech Roadmap site paper and numerous links, thanks to our friends at TMS which I just cannot keep from the Materials Community cf below. Although the paper is dated 2004, the links are great (some may require refreshing use the waybackmachine from Alexa). If this paper does not "grab-you" then there are other links to similarily enhanced hypertext papers. While you check this out, I'll just back-track to TMS site for more enhanced hypertext papers.
Global Perspectives on Electronic Materials: Challenges and ...
A recent report2 describes the concept of innovation ecosystems consisting of .... electronic materials systems present extreme challenges based on the ... Trans. Met. Soc's. - JOM-Journal of Metals - 50k -Cached

Mathematical Modeling in Materials Science Review by H.Bhadeshia,Univ. of Cambridge UK

In April, I drew your attention to this No. of Materials Science & Technology (Feb 08 Vol 24 ) in particular to the four Mathematical Modeling papers. While awaiting members feedback, comments etc., I have chosen to summarise my favorite paper in this issue:
Mathematical models in materials science pp. 128-136(9) Author: H.-Bhadeshia, H.K.D.H.

I cannot help admiring Prof.Harry Bhadeshia’s thinking and writing. His review paper
Mathematical models in materials science I feel, is very well balanced indeed. The pros and cons, yes there are cons, are both superb examples in positive critical thinking. The review is timely.

Right from the start his Abstract sets the scene for his review.

He graphically portrays two visions or methods of modelling, the linear whereby the relative length scales are important and an interdisciplinary – disconnected approach

(fig.1. above)

Harry-Bhadeshia draws upon historical developments with salient examples of the undoubted successes and the redoubtable excesses one encounters so often with all new methods and approaches. A sort of "dedicated follower of fashion syndrome which does not I surmise exclude money, always, in fashion-the necessary evil!)Harry stresses the fact that models however useful do not explain Nature and quotes,Nobel Prize Winner 1977, PHILIP W. ANDERSON[Pdf format-LINK] of Bell Labs. & Princeton Univ.

"After all, the perfect
computation simply reproduces Nature, it does not
explain her."

I may add that this message did not go unheeded, both following Nobels P-G. Gennes (1991) & G. Charpak (1992) in France have confirmed their sharing & support, authoring books, of the “Andersonian View” (incidentally the homonym of my original Univ in Glasgow, Strathclyde which started life as the Andersonian Institute arguably a precursor of such approaches.)

Harry-Bhadeshia clearly underlines the differences and complimentary aspects of Modelling vs. the classical scientific method.

How then does this differ from ordinary
science, which also yearns for the mathematical formulation
of Nature? cf Fig2.



Harry-Bhadeshia defines four classes of models:
“Models might be classified as follows:
(i) those which lead to an unexpected outcome that
can be verified
(ii) those which are created or used in hindsight to
explain diverse observations
(iii) existing models which are adapted or grouped
to design materials or processes
(iv) models used to express data, reveal patterns, or
for implementation in control algorithms.

and he notes that "While these categories are not exclusive, they serve to highlight the applications of models, with the emphasis being on quantitative expression, whether that is fuzzy or discrete.”

Excess information and information loss is considered. If ever a theme largely surpasses the relms of Maths Modeling this is one, few in modern economies are spared:

Harry uses a more explicit expression than “Information overflow!” and “pulls our collective ear", sharply, in offering a couple of explainations for our “lack of nerve, concentration, diligence…” as one may expect of good teacher,
Comments, welcome.

Quote:"These examples highlight the fact that researchers often have the capability to collect fine detail but perhaps not the patience or skill to exploit that information fully. Precisely the same issues arise in materials modelling where data can often be generated at resolutions not possible using experiments (for
example, heat and fluid flow during welding). The outputs of such methods are ‘coarse grained’ before publication." (I presume due to the peer refereeing process)

Further criticisms raised are:

“Similarily atomistic calculations require huge computing resources, and yet the answers they produce are quite simple, for example, the cohesive
energy of postulated crystal structures or the elastic moduli.”

“The danger with computationally intensive methods is that the focus shifts on the final outcome rather than on the steps leading to that solution.”

“It is difficult to assess the utility of large quantities of data when scientific expertise tends to be highly specialised.”

Harry suggests that: “good practice would be to make the data freely available so that others can look at the information with a fresh perspective. The World Wide Web makes this (technically) an easy task to implement.”

He supports this approach with reference to creep data made available and exploited.
Fuller details are available in the published review. However more information is available via the University of Cambridge, NPL:
umMaterials Algorithms Project and is an important step in the direction of WWW data handling and exploitation arguably another expression of The Andersonian View: “A place of useful learning”.


The many succsesses obtained by computational thermodynamic approaches are discussed together with their limitations, notably, the phases to be calculated must be known.

Many other topics in both experimental (validation) and mathematical modelling are discussed in clear terms such as:
-Uncertainty; graphical examples types of uncertainty are discussed ,
-Neural Networks are demystified,
-Generic Algorithms are recommended for design problems since they usually begin with a -specification of the required properties. So a model may be used to find the domain of inputs that lead to the desired properties (outputs), often by a trial and error.
-Strong steels whereby mathematical modelling led to the invention of new products, eg. Blastalloy 160, blast resistant steel, designed for fighting ship hulls, has a yield strength of 1110 MPa and a Charpy toughness of roughly 176 J at room temperature.
-Creep resistant steels – a notable failure according to Prof Bhadeshia who with hindsight offers some hints as to why both theory (and practise) had been relative failures vs. the amount of effort invested.
-Expense of modelling- insights from an experienced user.
-Model validation – ditto.

I shall not quote from Harry’s insightful conclusions but leave this to the enlightened reader’s initiative. Indeed a fully worthwhile read. I strongly recommend it for both specialists and general metallurgical and materials science professionals and managers.

JA.

Metallurgy-Materials-Advanced Processes

In these web-logs, I intend to refer regularily to to the large corpus
of ever expanding member journals online made available by my life-long

The Institutes; The Iron & Steel Institute, The Institute of Metals,

The Metallurgist, all this and more today, are grouped under one Institute,

The Institute of Materials Mining and Minerals. (IOM3).

Their many available journal resources are as follows:

1. Advances in Applied Ceramics (formerly British Ceramic Transactions)
2. Appied Earth Science (IMM Transactions section B)
3. Corrosion Engineering, Science and Technology ((formerly British Corrosion Journal)
4. Energy Materials: Materials Science and Enginering for Energy Systems

5. Interdisciplinary Science Reviews

6. International Heat Treatment & Surface Engineering
7. International Materials Reviews,

8. Ironmaking & Steelmaking
9.Materials Research Innovations
10. Materials Science & Technology (My seminal paper is in the first edition Feb 1985)
11.Materials Technology: Advanced Performance Materials
12.Mineral Processing and Extractive Metallurgy (IMM Transactions section C)
13.Mining Technology (IMM Transactions section A)
14.Mineral Processing and Extractive Metallurgy Plastics, Rubber & Composites : 15.Macromolecular Engineering
16.Powder Metallurgy
17. Science & Technology of Welding & Joining
18. Surface Engineering
19. Tribology-Materials, Surfaces & Interfaces

All titles are available via Ingenta's enhanced website http://www.ingentaconnect.com/.

and to members via IOM3' members site. In many of theses matters,

I among others members, constitute your privileged access and interpretation route, feel free to get in touch.

I hope also to use my french to review work carried out under the banner of
SF2M much of which is available in english to their members.

Looking forward to a useful & successful blog experience.