Thermophysical and Thermal Optical Properties of Vanadium by Millisecond Calorimetry Between 300 and 1900 K

A variant of millisecond-resolution pulse calorimetry in use at the Institute of Nuclear Sciences Vina since 1983 involves measuring the specific heat and electrical resistivity of electrical conductors from room temperature to 2500 K and the hemispherical total emissivity and normal spectral emissivity from about 1300 K to the same maximum operating temperature. The method was applied successfully to different materials: pure metals, ferrous and nickel-base alloys, reactor materials, and refractory metals in thermal characterization of candidates for thermophysical property standard reference materials. This paper presents and discusses new data obtained in the study of thermophysical and thermal optical properties of vanadium.     

Thermophysical Properties of W–Re Alloys Above the Melting Region

In earlier experiments we have studied pure elements with a fast pulse heating technique to obtain thermophysical properties of the liquid state. We report here results for thermophysical properties such as specific heat and dependences among enthalpy, electrical resistivity, and temperature, for four W–Re alloys (3.95, 21.03, 23.84, and 30.82 at % of Re) in a wide temperature range covering solid and liquid states. Thermal conductivity is calculated using the Wiedemann–Franz law for the liquid alloy, as.well as data for thermal diffusivity for the beginning of the liquid phase. Additionally, data for the entire temperature range studied have been analyzed in comparison with those of the constituent elements, tungsten and rhenium, since both metals have been studied previously with the same experimental technique. Such information is of interest in the field of metallurgy since W–Re alloys of low Re content in the region of mutual component solubility in the solid state are widely used as thermocouple materials for the purposes of high-temperature thermometry.     

Comparison of experimental, calculated and observed values for electrical and thermal conductivity of aluminium alloys

A model has been developed for calculating the electrical resistivity of commercial aluminium alloys from composition and heat treatments using the Matthiessen rule. The model is based on the approximation that the solubility of the alloying elements in heat treated alloys is equivalent to the equilibrium solubility at a higher temperature. These temperatures were determined from heat treatment data. The resistivity of a wide range of commercial alloys was calculated using the model, showing an agreement with most observed resistivity values of within 3 nΩm, except for alloys with special composition characteristics. According to the model, magnesium and manganese are important contributors to the resistivity for all main groups of alloys. In heat treated alloys the contribution of precipitates is 6–17% of the total resistivity. Thermal conductivity was calculated for alloys given in the literature using the Wiedeman–Franz law and the calculated resistivity. The calculated thermal conductivity agreed with the experimental values for the AlMg-alloys, but it was lower than the experimental values for pure aluminium and the AlCu-alloys in the annealed condition. This revised version was published online in November 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Thermophysical Properties of Five Binary Copper–Nickel Alloys

Thermophysical properties (e.g., specific enthalpy, heat of fusion, electrical resistivity, thermal volume expansion) are measured in the liquid phase up to very high temperatures by an extreme fast pulse-heating method. Heating rates of about 10⁸ K · s^?1 are applied by self-heating of wire-shaped metallic specimens with a current of approximately 10,000 A. Pure elements seem to be still close to thermal equilibrium as the obtained results are in good agreement with those obtained by static methods. However, this situation might be different for alloys. The rapid volume heating can shift diffusion-controlled phase transitions at heating to higher temperatures or even make them not noticeable anymore. The simple binary Cu–Ni system was chosen to test the heating rate dependence; this system is well known and shows complete miscibility in the liquid and solid ranges of interest. This study is a further step to test the performance of the fast pulse-heating method being applied to simple and more complex alloys. Measured results of enthalpy, heat of fusion, heat capacity, and electrical resistivity in the vicinity of the melting range are presented. The results of enthalpy and heat capacity agree with simple mixing rules. The measured electrical resistivity of different compositions is compared to results obtained by electromagnetic levitation measurements.     

Calorimetric and transport properties of Zircalloy 2, Zircalloy 4, and Inconel 625

This paper presents the measurements and the results on thermal and electrical transport properties of three nuclear reactor cladding materials: Zircalloy 2, Zircalloy 4, and Inconel 625. Study of these materials constituted a part of the IAEA coordinated research program aimed at the generation and establishment of a reliable and complete database of the thermal properties of reactor materials. Measured properties include thermal diffusivity, specific heat, and electrical resistivity. Thermal diffusivity was measured by the laser pulse technique. Specific heat and electrical resistivity were measured using a millisecond-resolution direct electrical pulse heating technique. Thermal conductivity was computed from the experimentally determined thermal difusivity and specific heat functions and the room temperature density values. Measurements were performed in the 20 to 1500°C temperature range, depending on the material and property concerned.     

Empirical model for the estimation of thermophysical properties of liquid metal alloys

A model for calculating the main properties of liquid metal binary alloys at standard pressure based on experimental data observation is presented. Given the characteristics of the pure metals, the model allows to calculate density, surface tension, electrical resistivity and thermal conductivity of binary alloys at various concentrations along the liquidus line. Some preliminary comparisons for Al-Si and Al-Cu systems are in satisfactory agreement with the model.     

An Inductive Technique for Electrical Conductivity Measurements on Molten Metals

A computer-controlled rotational technique to measure the electrical resistivity of solid and molten metals was developed. The electrical resistivities of pure metals (aluminum, indium, lead, and tin) and the low-melting point alloy LMA-158 in the solid and liquid states were measured. The results also show that there is a linear relationship between electrical resistivity and temperature in both the solid and the liquid states of the test materials. Good agreement was found between the experimental data and predictions from the literature. The data were used to estimate the temperature coefficients of electrical resistivity of test specimens over a wide range of temperatures including the melting point of the metals. Good agreement between experimental data and predictions made by previous researchers for the temperature coefficients was achieved.     

High-Temperature Metallic Melts – Resistivity Intercomparison for Space Applications

Liquid state densities and electrical resistivities of pure copper and nickel as well as some of their binary alloys in the vicinity of the constantan mixing ratio (Cu53Ni47 at%) were measured by electromagnetic levitation and pulse-heating techniques. The experiments were performed as part of a joint project between the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and Graz University of Technology (TUG) with the main objective being to compare and support deeper understanding of different techniques for electrical resistivity measurements and their data. The manufacture of a levitation experiment similar to the setup at DLR is underway, which is scheduled for microgravity (μg) experiments onboard the ISS in 2010. As a first step, DLR performed measurements on a set of binary Cu–Ni-alloys (as well as two pure constituents), and independent experiments for constantan and the two pure metals were conducted at TUG. The results give promising agreement between the two techniques, show a reasonable overlap within the estimated uncertainties, and lead the way to more comparative measurements with newly developed materials.     

Thermal Conductivity and Thermal Diffusivity of Pulse-Heated W–Re Alloys

Results are reported for the thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity as a function of temperature for four W–Re alloys (4.0, 21.24, 24.07, and 31.09 mass% of Re) over a wide temperature range covering the solid and liquid states. The measurements allow the determination of specific heat and dependences among electrical resistivity, temperature, and density of the alloys into the liquid phase. The thermal conductivity is calculated using the Wiedeman–Franz law. Additionally, data for thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity of the constituent elements, tungsten and rhenium, are presented for the first time. Both metals have been previously studied with the same experimental technique.     

High temperature resistivity determination of high-melting point metals and alloys

A method of determination of temperature-dependent electrical resistivity for metals and alloys of high-melting points at high temperatures is presented. It is based on the computer simulation of wire heating by direct current and basic electrical measurements. The authors present new results for 25Re75W and 47.5Re52.5Mo alloys along with the results of test measurements for tungsten. Electrical resistivity for tungsten obtained with presented method is in good agreement with well known data for the metal.     

Thermal Properties of Tantalum Between 300 and 2300 K

A subsecond pulse heating method was applied to measure the specific heat capacity, electrical resistivity, total hemispherical emissivity, and normal spectral emissivity of 99.9% pure tantalum in the form of 2-mm-diameter wire. W/Re thermocouple thermometry was applied from 300 to 2300 K, with emissivity measurements above 1300 K involving pyrometric measurements. The maximum uncertainties in the specific heat capacity and electrical resistivity were less than 3 and 1 % respectively. The uncertainty of emissivity measurements was estimated as ±5%. The results are compared with literature values.     

Fortschritte der Kontaktwerkstoffentwicklung

Progress in Contact Material Technology . Materials for electrical contacts have to show a plurality of different properties which in most cases cannot be found with pure metals. The development of new and better contact materials is therefore restricted to alloys and mostly to composite materials. The use of intermetallic compounds and ordered alloys will be described. This type of materials shows better corrosion behaviour, lower are erosion and lower material transfer. Silver-, gold- and platinumbased dispersion hardened alloys and methods of manufacture will be described. Today there are tendencies for the use of fiber reinforced metals as materials for electrical contacts. Some applications will be discussed.     

液态金属电子输运性质的理论研究

液体的许多重要物理性质及结构稳定性都直接或间接与价电子状态有关,电子输运性质的研究因较直接揭示液体中价电子的变化而倍受重视。主要介绍液态金属电阻率和电势的理论研究现状,分析了获得其中关键参数熔体结构因子及原子间作用势的途径。     

Thermophysical Properties of Solid Phase Zirconium at High Temperatures

This paper presents experimental results on the thermophysical properties of relatively pure polycrystalline zirconium samples in the solid phase from room temperature up to near the melting point. The specific heat capacity and specific electrical resistivity were measured from 290 to 1970 K, the hemispherical total emissivity from 1400 to 2000 K, the normal spectral emissivity from 1480 to 1940 K, and the thermal diffusivity in the range from 290 to 1470 K. From these data, the thermal conductivity and Lorentz number were computed in the range from 290 to 1470 K. For necessary corrections the most recent values of the linear thermal expansion from the literature have been used. Subsecond pulse calorimetry for measuring heat capacity, specific electrical resistivity, and both emissivities and the laser flash method for measuring thermal diffusivity were applied. Samples in the form of a thin rod and in the form of a thin disk were used in the first and second methods, respectively. Measurement uncertainties were generally about 3% for heat capacity, 1.6% for specific electrical resistivity, 3–10% for the two emissivities, and from less than 1% up to 6% for thermal diffusivity. All the results are discussed in reference to available literature data.Paper presented at the Seventeenth European Conference on Thermophysical Properties, September 5–8, 2005, Bratislava, Slovak Republic.     

Measurement of Specific Heat Capacity and Electrical Resistivity of Industrial Alloys Using Pulse Heating Techniques

The determination of the specific heat capacity and electrical resistivity of Inconel 718, Ti-6Al-4V, and CF8M stainless steel, from room temperature to near the melting temperatures of the alloys, is described. The method is based on rapid resistive self-heating of a solid cylindrical specimen by the passage of a short-duration electric current pulse through it while simultaneously measuring the pertinent experimental quantities (i.e., voltage drop, current, and specimen temperature). From room temperature to about 1300 K, the properties are measured using an intermediate-temperature pulse-heating system by supplying a constant current from a programmable power supply and measuring the temperature using a Pt-Pt:13% Rh thermocouple welded to the surface of the specimen. From 1350 K to near the melting temperatures of the alloys, the properties are measured using a millisecond-resolution high-temperature pulse-heating system by supplying the current from a set of batteries controlled by a fast-response switching system and measuring the temperature using a high-speed pyrometer in conjunction with an ellipsometer, which is used to measure the corresponding spectral emissivity. The present study extends the application of these techniques, previously applied only to pure metals, to industrial alloys.     

Thermo-electrical characterization of Sn–Zn alloys

The thermo-electrical properties of Sn–Zn alloys have been investigated for four different compositions. The SEM micrographs and EDX analysis of the samples have been obtained. The electrical resistivity measurements were performed by using four-point probe technique in the temperature range 300 K–575 K. The resistivity of samples increases linearly with temperature and the electrical conductivity is inversely proportional to temperature. The electrical current preferentially flows through the pure Sn phase having lower resistivity in the matrix. Also, thermal conductivity of samples has been measured by using the radial heat flow method. It has been found that the thermal conductivity decreases with the increasing temperature and composition of Sn. The results were consistent with available experimental results of other studies. Finally, the temperature coefficient of electrical resistivity and the temperature coefficient of thermal conductivity have been determined, which were independent from the composition of Sn and Zn.     

The effect of aluminum content on phase constitution and heat treatment behavior of Ti–Cr–Al alloys for healthcare application

As life expectancy steadily increases, developing reliable functional materials for healthcare applications gains importance. Titanium and its alloys, while attractive for such applications, are expensive. The present investigation suggests that it may be possible to reduce costs by using new, low-cost beta Ti alloys. To assess their reliability, the heat treatment behavior of beta Ti alloys, Ti–7 mass% Cr with varying Al content (0%, 1.5%, 3.0% and 4.5%), was investigated through electrical resistivity and Vickers hardness measurements. In the Ti–7Cr–0Al alloy quenched from 1173 K, only the beta phase was identified by X-ray diffraction (XRD). In Ti–7Cr–1.5 to 4.5 Al alloys, XRD detected both beta and orthorhombic martensite. On isochronal heat treatment behavior of Ti–7Cr–3.0, 4.5 Al alloys, resistivity at liquid nitrogen temperature and resistivity ratio increased between 423 and 523 K.These increases are due to reverse transformation of orthorhombic martensite to the metastable beta phase.     

Viscosity Measurements of Industrial Alloys Using the Oscillating Cup Technique

Molten metal processing can be effectively simulated using state-of-the-art computer algorithms, and manufacturers increasingly rely upon these tools to optimize the design of their operations. Reliable thermophysical properties of the solid, solid + liquid, and liquid phases are essential for effective computer simulation. Commercially available instruments can measure many of the required properties of molten metals (e.g., transformation temperatures, thermal conductivity, specific heat, latent heat, and density). However, there are no commercially available instruments to characterize several important thermophysical properties (e.g., emissivity, electrical resistivity, surface tension, and viscosity). Although the literature has numerous examples of measurements of surface tension using the sessile drop and the oscillating drop techniques, literature references are sparse with regard to measurements of emissivity, electrical resistivity, and viscosity. The present paper discusses the development of an oscillating cup viscometer and its application to characterizing the viscosity of fully molten industrial alloys. The theory behind the oscillating cup technique is reviewed, and the design details of the current instrument are discussed. In addition, experimental data of the viscosity of several nickel-based superalloys are presented.     

Combined DSC and Pulse-Heating Measurements of Electrical Resistivity and Enthalpy of Tungsten,Niobium, and Titanium

Measurements of thermophysical properties such as enthalpy, electrical resistivity, and specific heat capacity as a function of temperature starting from the solid state into the liquid phase for W, Nb, and Ti are presented in this work. An ohmic pulse-heating technique allows measurements of enthalpy and electrical resistivity from room temperature to the end of the stable liquid phase within 60 μ s. The simultaneous optical measurement of temperature is limited by the fast pyrometers with an onset temperature of T_min = 1200–1500 K; below these temperatures, the fast pyrometers are not sensitive. A differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) is used for determination of the specific heat capacity, and also to obtain enthalpy values in the temperature range of 600–1700 K. Combining the two methods entends the range of values of electrical resistivity and enthalpy versus temperature down to 600 K. Results on the metals W, Nb, and Ti are reported and compared to literature values. This paper is a continuation of earlier work. Paper presented at the Seventh International Workshop on Subsecond Thermophysics, October 6–8, 2004, Orléans, France.