A fine grain, relaxor-based piezoelectric ceramic 0.7 Pb(Mg(1/3)Nb(2/3))O3-0.3PbTiO3 (PMN-30% PT) has been investigated, which was fabricated using the columbite precursor method. The complete set of electromechanical properties of the piezoceramic at room temperature is determined using a combination of ultrasonic and resonance techniques. This fine-grain ceramic (grain size < or = 2.5 microm)...

The occurrence of a stable icosahedral (i-) phase, which is quasicrystalline with an icosahedral (fivefold) symmetry, on the equilibrium phase diagram of Mg-Zn-RE (RE = Y, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho or Er) alloys opened up an interesting possibility of developing a new series of magnesium alloys for structural applications. Alloys based on the i-phase have been studied for the past 14 years. Ultra-high str...

Very fine-grained Ni and Cu films were formed using pulsed laser deposition on fised silica substrates. The grain sizes in the films were characterized by electron microscopy, and the mechanical properties were determined by ultra-low load indentation, with iinite-element modeling used to separate the properties of the layers from those of the substrate. Some Ni films were also examined after a...

An ultra-fine-grained AISI 301LN austenitic stainless steel has been achieved by heavy cold rolling, to induce the formation of martensite, and subsequent annealing at 800 C, 900 C, and 1000 C, from 1 to 100 seconds. The microstructural evolution was analyzed using transmission electron microscopy and the yield strength determined by tension testing. Ultra-fine austenite grains, as small as ~0....

Porous materials with ligament sizes in the submicrometer to nanometer regime have a high potential for future applications such as catalysts, actuators, or radiation tolerant materials, which require properties like high strength-to-weight ratio, high surface-to-volume ratio, or large interface density as for radiation tolerance. The objective of this work was to manufacture ultra-fine porous ...