Grant: Research Tools and Instruments

This grant application is for a Spark Optical Emission Spectrometer, which is used for the measurement of chemical composition of a sample. The research to be supported includes 1) the improvement of in-service properties of Al and Mg light alloys through casting, welding and heat treatment process optimization and alloying additions, 2) the development of optimum casting process parameters for improved castability and hot tear elimination in permanent mould casting of Al and Mg alloys and 3) the damage analysis and modeling of various materials under uniaxial and multiaxial loading conditions. The variation of composition affects microstructural developments, which impact the castability, weldability, mechanical properties, fatigue properties and corrosion properties of the alloys. Therefore, accurate measurement of composition is essential for the development of new alloys. The installment of a Spark Optical Emission Spectrometer will complement the state-of-the-art facility for the preparation and structural characterization of advanced light weight alloys. This facility consists of two main components: 1) an inverted metallurgical microscope with bright field, dark field, polarized light and differential interference contrast capabilities, and 2) a semi-automatic grinder/polisher. The microscope is used for the characterization of alloy structure, particle morphology, second phases, alloy defects and oxide inclusions while the grinder/polisher enables specimen preparation with high consistency and quality. The ability to measure composition in the laboratory will lead to rapid progress in the projects as compositional data can be quickly correlated with the microstructural evolution. The equipment will be extensively used by Highly qualified Personnel (HQP) who will have an excellent opportunity to do hands-on experiments with state-of-the-art facility for compositional analysis, microstructural observation, and image analysis.