Structure-property relationships in compositionally complex alloys. Physical metallurgy has entered a new era of compositionally complex metallic alloys that show unprecedented combinations of mechanical properties enabling the design of more energy-efficient and economically viable applications. This project aims to generate new knowledge about how locally-resolved, nano-scale atomic arrangements control macroscopic deformation behavior in these materials and develop a fundamental understanding ....Structure-property relationships in compositionally complex alloys. Physical metallurgy has entered a new era of compositionally complex metallic alloys that show unprecedented combinations of mechanical properties enabling the design of more energy-efficient and economically viable applications. This project aims to generate new knowledge about how locally-resolved, nano-scale atomic arrangements control macroscopic deformation behavior in these materials and develop a fundamental understanding of their processing-structure-fracture toughness relationships. Expected outcomes include an enhanced capacity to design materials with damage-tolerant properties superior to existing alloys from bottom up, thereby allowing for commercial benefits throughout transportation, defense, and biomedical device sectors.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE120102588
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
A fundamental approach to generating new classes of light-weight amorphous alloys based on liquid-metal structures. An innovative alloy design method that harnesses the stable building blocks of the liquid structure will be used to develop new light-weight magnesium, aluminium, silicon and titanium amorphous metals. These new alloys will exhibit ultrahigh-strength, corrosion-resistance and functionality offering a new alternative to high performance materials.
Structure-property relationships of next generation aero-engine materials. We aim to design a novel manufacturing process for superalloy aero-engine parts with superior mechanical properties. This is significant because optimisation of the hot-forging route of the most commonly used Alloy 718 will enable targeted control of its nanoscale precipitate microstructure leading to substantial increases in the high-temperature strength. The expected scientific outcomes are new physical metallurgy knowl ....Structure-property relationships of next generation aero-engine materials. We aim to design a novel manufacturing process for superalloy aero-engine parts with superior mechanical properties. This is significant because optimisation of the hot-forging route of the most commonly used Alloy 718 will enable targeted control of its nanoscale precipitate microstructure leading to substantial increases in the high-temperature strength. The expected scientific outcomes are new physical metallurgy knowledge of the microstructure-property relationships of superalloys. The expected technological and societal outcomes include enhanced aero-engine material performance, creating benefits such as shorter flights over longer distances, and safer, more fuel-efficient air travel.Read moreRead less
Engineering alloy design reimagined as a driven system. This project investigates a new approach to engineering alloy design that explicitly takes into account, and exploits, the energy delivered into an alloy during deformation processing. The work intends to resolve fundamental questions concerning the effect of deformation processing of the evolution of the material structure and the effect this structure has on the resulting mechanical and corrosion properties. The new structures resulting f ....Engineering alloy design reimagined as a driven system. This project investigates a new approach to engineering alloy design that explicitly takes into account, and exploits, the energy delivered into an alloy during deformation processing. The work intends to resolve fundamental questions concerning the effect of deformation processing of the evolution of the material structure and the effect this structure has on the resulting mechanical and corrosion properties. The new structures resulting from this approach are remarkably fine and uniform suggesting they will be both strong and corrosion resistant. The proposed work intends to uncover the origins of both these structures and new properties, and exploit them for the design of new engineering alloys with greatly improved properties.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE150100738
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$368,000.00
Summary
Materials Design for Self-toughening Bulk Metallic Glasses. Bulk metallic glasses are a new class of superior, high-performance structural material exhibiting ultra-high strength and high corrosion and wear resistance. However, they suffer from poor ductility and the inability to strain harden, which restricts their range of applications. A recent novel approach of embedding ductile shape-memory-alloy particles into the glassy matrix is a promising way to improve ductility. The project aims to i ....Materials Design for Self-toughening Bulk Metallic Glasses. Bulk metallic glasses are a new class of superior, high-performance structural material exhibiting ultra-high strength and high corrosion and wear resistance. However, they suffer from poor ductility and the inability to strain harden, which restricts their range of applications. A recent novel approach of embedding ductile shape-memory-alloy particles into the glassy matrix is a promising way to improve ductility. The project aims to identify the optimal structures of these particles and the corresponding process for improving the properties of copper-zirconium based metallic glasses. This project is expected to create ductile metallic glass composites attractive for engineering, medical, sporting, and military applications.Read moreRead less
Improving mechanical properties through heterogeneous structures. This project aims to explore the mechanisms of how heterogeneous structures have superior mechanical properties relative to homogenous structures by investigating how stacking fault energy affects the mechanical properties of materials. Materials with heterogeneous structures demonstrate superior mechanical properties, partly due to the simultaneous activation of multiple deformation mechanisms. Stacking fault energy plays a criti ....Improving mechanical properties through heterogeneous structures. This project aims to explore the mechanisms of how heterogeneous structures have superior mechanical properties relative to homogenous structures by investigating how stacking fault energy affects the mechanical properties of materials. Materials with heterogeneous structures demonstrate superior mechanical properties, partly due to the simultaneous activation of multiple deformation mechanisms. Stacking fault energy plays a critical role in determining deformation mechanisms, yet the mechanism of this effect on the mechanical properties of materials with heterogeneous structures is not understood. This project is expected to provide guidance in structural and compositional design of heterogeneous metallic structures with optimum mechanical properties, which will significantly benefit Australian metallurgical and related industries.Read moreRead less
Unlocking the twinning stress: confidence inspiring light alloys. The ultimate aim of this research is to reduce fuel consumption through weight reduction. It will achieve this by increasing the performance of the lightest structural metal, magnesium. Contrary to the metals it typically replaces (steel and aluminium), magnesium fails via mechanisms that involve deformation twinning. Better understanding of twinning is needed to enhance performance and give automotive makers confidence to apply t ....Unlocking the twinning stress: confidence inspiring light alloys. The ultimate aim of this research is to reduce fuel consumption through weight reduction. It will achieve this by increasing the performance of the lightest structural metal, magnesium. Contrary to the metals it typically replaces (steel and aluminium), magnesium fails via mechanisms that involve deformation twinning. Better understanding of twinning is needed to enhance performance and give automotive makers confidence to apply the metal more widely. The applicants have recently found evidence that a key missing piece of the puzzle is the role of plastic relaxation. The proposed work will use this idea to develop a new fundamental understanding of twinning using novel in-situ diffraction and modelling techniques.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE180100440
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$368,446.00
Summary
Engineering hierarchical microstructures in high strength low alloy steels. This project aims to develop a new steel processing technology that will simultaneously increase strength and ductility via multi-scale hierarchical microstructures. Specifically, ultra-fine grain sized steels will be produced with controlled precipitation, segregation and solute atom clustering. Atom probe crystallography will be used to study the structure and chemistry of grain boundaries, providing new insights into ....Engineering hierarchical microstructures in high strength low alloy steels. This project aims to develop a new steel processing technology that will simultaneously increase strength and ductility via multi-scale hierarchical microstructures. Specifically, ultra-fine grain sized steels will be produced with controlled precipitation, segregation and solute atom clustering. Atom probe crystallography will be used to study the structure and chemistry of grain boundaries, providing new insights into the toughness of structural steels. The expected outcome will be the identification of potential new manufacturing routes for future high strength low alloy steels that are stronger, more ductile, and safer.Read moreRead less
Advancing the Australian specialty alloy processing capability. This project aims to advance Australia’s specialty alloy processing capability by developing novel processing routes to overcome current bottlenecks that prevent supply meeting demand. New knowledge will be generated on alternative means of the processing of Rene 41, a Nickel-based superalloy with limited formability through a comprehensive experimental and modelling-based research program. Rene 41 is strategically important for man ....Advancing the Australian specialty alloy processing capability. This project aims to advance Australia’s specialty alloy processing capability by developing novel processing routes to overcome current bottlenecks that prevent supply meeting demand. New knowledge will be generated on alternative means of the processing of Rene 41, a Nickel-based superalloy with limited formability through a comprehensive experimental and modelling-based research program. Rene 41 is strategically important for manufacturing next generation turbofan engines. The expected outcome is the identification of innovative processing routes to provide stronger, defect-free specialty alloys for aerospace applications, vital to Australia’s advanced manufacturing.Read moreRead less
A new paradigm for creating fatigue-resistant light metals. Ninety per cent of failures of metal components are caused by fatigue. Fatigue arises from cycles of alternating stress during service which lead to failure at stress levels surprisingly short of the material's static strength. Fatigue is the 'Achilles heel' of complex engineering alloys and places significant limitations on adopting new lightweight solutions for improvements to fuel efficiency in transportation. Aluminium alloys in par ....A new paradigm for creating fatigue-resistant light metals. Ninety per cent of failures of metal components are caused by fatigue. Fatigue arises from cycles of alternating stress during service which lead to failure at stress levels surprisingly short of the material's static strength. Fatigue is the 'Achilles heel' of complex engineering alloys and places significant limitations on adopting new lightweight solutions for improvements to fuel efficiency in transportation. Aluminium alloys in particular have notoriously poor fatigue performance. This project aims to develop a new class of fatigue resistant light alloys whose properties improve, rather than deteriorate, during service. This development is based on a new understanding of the coupling of microstructure evolution and deformation.Read moreRead less