Studies on metal dusting : reaction mechanisms and their control. Gases which are supersaturated with carbon can react at high temperatures with steels and nickel-base alloys to destroy them, producing a dust of carbon plus metal and/or metal carbides. The mechanism is not properly understood, and the rate of the process impossible to predict. This program will dissect the mechanism using kinetic studies and electron microscopy of precisely located parts of the reacting system. Ways of controll ....Studies on metal dusting : reaction mechanisms and their control. Gases which are supersaturated with carbon can react at high temperatures with steels and nickel-base alloys to destroy them, producing a dust of carbon plus metal and/or metal carbides. The mechanism is not properly understood, and the rate of the process impossible to predict. This program will dissect the mechanism using kinetic studies and electron microscopy of precisely located parts of the reacting system. Ways of controlling the process via alloy compositional changes will be explored.Read moreRead less
"Metal dusting" of austenitic alloys: mechanisms and interventions. "Metal dusting" is a catastrophic form of metal corrosion which we do not yet understand. It affects industries important to Australia: reforming of natural gas and (potentially) ceramic oxide fuel cells. This project aims to understand the process of austenitic alloy dusting, and thereby design materials to resist this form of attack. This will allow new natural gas processing industries in Australia to be internationally compe ...."Metal dusting" of austenitic alloys: mechanisms and interventions. "Metal dusting" is a catastrophic form of metal corrosion which we do not yet understand. It affects industries important to Australia: reforming of natural gas and (potentially) ceramic oxide fuel cells. This project aims to understand the process of austenitic alloy dusting, and thereby design materials to resist this form of attack. This will allow new natural gas processing industries in Australia to be internationally competitive.
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Controlling corrosion of steel by carbon dioxide-rich gases at high temperatures. A growing difficulty for Australia is the need to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions whilst maintaining the economic advantages of coal fired power stations. Technologies for capturing CO2 from these stations are being developed, but inevitably involve the need to handle hot CO2-rich gases. These are surprisingly corrosive to the materials of which power stations are constructed, in a way which is not fully unde ....Controlling corrosion of steel by carbon dioxide-rich gases at high temperatures. A growing difficulty for Australia is the need to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions whilst maintaining the economic advantages of coal fired power stations. Technologies for capturing CO2 from these stations are being developed, but inevitably involve the need to handle hot CO2-rich gases. These are surprisingly corrosive to the materials of which power stations are constructed, in a way which is not fully understood. This project aims to achieve this understanding, and to provide the basis for future alloy design.Read moreRead less
The development of optimum microstructures in hot worked metals. Hot working is used to obtain the shape and properties of a wide range of metal products. At present our knowledge of how to control the forming process and properties of the final product is limited to laboratory conditions that do not apply in industry. This work will systematically study the deformation behaviour of a range of metals, including steel, titanium, aluminium, magnesium and copper from standard laboratory to real i ....The development of optimum microstructures in hot worked metals. Hot working is used to obtain the shape and properties of a wide range of metal products. At present our knowledge of how to control the forming process and properties of the final product is limited to laboratory conditions that do not apply in industry. This work will systematically study the deformation behaviour of a range of metals, including steel, titanium, aluminium, magnesium and copper from standard laboratory to real industrial conditions. We will develop advanced models to predict the properties of these metals for any hot working process and identify opportunities to develop new high strength products.Read moreRead less
A comprehensive theoretical and simulation model for control of nucleation, prediction of as-cast grain size, and design of grain refining technology. The research will generate know-how and methods for predicting the as-cast microstructure of all metallic alloys. The outcomes enable the design of commercially viable grain refining technologies, and the development of novel microstructures that will improve the properties and quality of new products and contribute to waste and energy reduction.
The Coupling of Plasticity, Microstructure and Phase Transformations in the Design of Novel Magnesium Alloys for the Automotive Industry. The desire to reduce the weight of automobiles due to legislative requirements on fuel emissions and to reduce overall fuel consumption is the driving force behind research into the development of new Mg-based alloys to replace the heavier steel and Al-alloy components in automobiles. Given the enormous worldwide transportation market and the environmental and ....The Coupling of Plasticity, Microstructure and Phase Transformations in the Design of Novel Magnesium Alloys for the Automotive Industry. The desire to reduce the weight of automobiles due to legislative requirements on fuel emissions and to reduce overall fuel consumption is the driving force behind research into the development of new Mg-based alloys to replace the heavier steel and Al-alloy components in automobiles. Given the enormous worldwide transportation market and the environmental and legislative motivation for reducing fuel emissions, the development of new Mg-based alloys capable of meeting this demand from automotive manufacturers represents both a potentially large economic advantage to the country of development as well as helping to address the environmental concern about fuel emissions.Read moreRead less
A New Approach to Advanced Steels via Cluster and Precipitate Strengthening. Formation of interphase nanoparticles and clusters is a new approach to increase strength in advanced high strength steels. Exceptionally high strength levels can be achieved in alloys that only have solute clusters by controlling the temperature-time history. However, the exact mechanism for the formation of clusters and precipitates and the cluster strengthening mechanism are not understood, nor do we know how to cont ....A New Approach to Advanced Steels via Cluster and Precipitate Strengthening. Formation of interphase nanoparticles and clusters is a new approach to increase strength in advanced high strength steels. Exceptionally high strength levels can be achieved in alloys that only have solute clusters by controlling the temperature-time history. However, the exact mechanism for the formation of clusters and precipitates and the cluster strengthening mechanism are not understood, nor do we know how to control cluster formation. This project aims to develop a fundamental understanding of the formation of clusters and nanoprecipitates and determine their contribution to strengthening and other mechanical properties using advanced characterisation techniques such as atom probe tomography and electron microscopy.Read moreRead less
Advanced high strength steels produced by energy efficient direct strip casting. Over one billion tonnes of steel is produced every year and one method of reducing the environmental footprint of this production is through strip casting. This process reduces the energy required to process liquid steel into thin sheet product by an astounding 90 per cent. This proposal aims to expand the application of this technology to new steel grades.
Exploiting Annealing Reactions for New Steel Grade Development. Overseas steel markets are demanding thinner and cheaper formable products. The proposed work aims to establish how the reactions that take place during annealing can be exploited to create new products to meet these needs. The processes of recrystallization texture development, which controls the ease with which the product can be drawn into shapes, precipitate dissolution, which impacts on surface quality, and creep, which can lea ....Exploiting Annealing Reactions for New Steel Grade Development. Overseas steel markets are demanding thinner and cheaper formable products. The proposed work aims to establish how the reactions that take place during annealing can be exploited to create new products to meet these needs. The processes of recrystallization texture development, which controls the ease with which the product can be drawn into shapes, precipitate dissolution, which impacts on surface quality, and creep, which can lead to annealing defects in thin products will be studied. The objective is use the knowledge generated to remove over-design of processing parameters and steel composition to develop new cost effective export grades.Read moreRead less
Designing starches for increased productivity in mineral flotation. Designing starches for increased productivity in mineral flotation. This project aims to understand the process of starch-mineral surface interactions, and design and develop tailored starch depressant/flocculant biopolymers for mineral beneficiation via the froth flotation process. Natural and modified starches are used as depressants and flocculants in mineral flotation, but scientists lack knowledge of mechanisms describing s ....Designing starches for increased productivity in mineral flotation. Designing starches for increased productivity in mineral flotation. This project aims to understand the process of starch-mineral surface interactions, and design and develop tailored starch depressant/flocculant biopolymers for mineral beneficiation via the froth flotation process. Natural and modified starches are used as depressants and flocculants in mineral flotation, but scientists lack knowledge of mechanisms describing starch-mineral surface interactions, particularly how they process base metal sulphides. This project also intends to develop starch characterisation techniques and novel methods for modifying starch structures and functionalities. Anticipated outcomes are new novel manufacturing applications for starch in Australia.Read moreRead less