In this study, we investigate the precipitation kinetics of Cu in 15–5 PH maraging stainless steel during high-temperature thermal treatments in the fully austenitic state. This provides direct evidence that Cu precipitation can occur in the austenite phase of martensitic or ferritic steels. The kinetics of Cu precipitation in austenite are examined at 700 and 800 °C using in situ synchrotron small-angle and wide-angle X-ray scattering, complemented by atom probe tomography investigations to analyze the precipitates, particularly their chemistry, following heat treatment. The resulting experimental data, which include the evolution of size, volume fraction, number density and chemical composition, are used to inform precipitation kinetics modelling using the Langer-Schwartz-Kampmann-Wagner (LSKW) approach coupled with CALPHAD thermodynamic and kinetic databases. The simulations accurately capture the experimental data by adjusting the interfacial energy in an inverse modelling approach. The insight that Cu precipitation occurs in austenite and subsequently in martensite paves the way for design of hierarchical structures with a bi-modal particle size distribution of Cu precipitates with varying crystal structures and compositions. Additionally, the validated LSKW modelling approach establishes a foundation for designing Cu-alloyed high-performance steels, taking into account various manufacturing routes.

The microstructure evolution associated with the cold forming sequence of an Fe-14Cr-1W-0.3Ti-0.3Y2O3 grade ferritic stainless steel strengthened by dispersion of nano oxides (ODS) was investigated. The material, initially hot extruded at 1100 °C and then shaped into cladding tube geometry via HPTR cold pilgering, shows a high microstructure stability that affects stress release heat treatment efficiency. Each step of the process was analyzed to better understand the microstructure stability of the material. Despite high levels of stored energy, heat treatments, up to 1350 °C, do not allow for recrystallization of the material. The Vickers hardness shows significant variations along the manufacturing steps. Thanks to a combination of EBSD and X-ray diffraction measurements, this study gives a new insight into the contribution of statistically stored dislocation (SSD) recovery on the hardness evolution during an ODS steel cold forming sequence. SSD density, close to 4.1015 m−2 after cold rolling, drops by only an order of magnitude during heat treatment, while geometrically necessary dislocation (GND) density, close to 1.1015 m−2, remains stable. Hardness decrease during heat treatments appears to be controlled only by the evolution of SSD.

ODS steels are candidate materials for the future generation of nuclear power plants. Ferritic / Martensitic (F/M) ODS steels display better formability thanks to high temperature austenitic transformation. The precipitation kinetics of a F/M Fe‑9Cr ODS steel during powder consolidation up to 1100 °C has been characterized by in‑situ Small Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS). The influence of the matrix phase transformation has been established, showing an increase of the growth rate of the nano‑oxides in austenite, leading to nano‑oxides ∼ 2x larger in diameter than in Fe‑14Cr ferritic ODS grades at the end of the thermal treatment. These results are further supported by local atom probe tomography (APT) performed across grains showing contrasted microstructure and composition. Anomalous SAXS as well as comparison between APT and SAXS provide evidence that the nano‑oxides stabilize with a Y2Ti2O7 or Y2TiO5 stoichiometry around 1100 °C.

A high-energy white synchrotron X-ray beam enables penetration of relatively thick and highly absorbing samples. At the P61A White Beam Engineering Materials Science Beamline, operated by Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon at the PETRA III ring of the Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), a tailored X-ray radiography system has been developed to perform in-situ X-ray imaging experiments at high temporal resolution, taking advantage of the unprecedented X-ray beam flux delivered by ten successive damping wigglers. The imaging system is equipped with an ultrahigh-speed camera (Phantom v2640) enabling acquisition rates up to 25 kHz at maximal resolution and binned mode. The camera is coupled with optical magnification (5x, 10x) and focusing lenses to enable imaging with a pixel size of 1,35 micrometre. The scintillator screens are housed in a special nitrogen gas cooling environment to withstand the heat load induced by the beam, allowing spatial resolution to be optimized down to few micrometres. We present the current state of the system development, implementation and first results of in situ investigations, especially of the electron beam powder bed fusion (PBF-EB) process, where the details of the mechanism of crack and pore formation during processing of different powder materials, e.g. steels and Ni-based alloys, is not yet known.

Targeting to obtain fine dispersions of nanoscale precipitates to enhance the mechanical properties of a highperformance tool steel, re-engineering of the alloy composition and heat treatment was guided by computational thermodynamics and kinetics. A prototype alloy was prepared using the designed chemistry and heat treatment. Thereafter, advanced microstructural characterization and mechanical testing confirmed the successful design to reach a high number density of (V, Mo)C precipitates with an average diameter of about 5 nm in the peak-hardened condition, after tempering the martensite at 600 degrees C for 2 h.

The development of a sample environment for in situ x-ray characterization during metal Electron Beam Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-EB), called MiniMelt, is presented. The design considerations, the features of the equipment, and its implementation at the synchrotron facility PETRA III at Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron, Hamburg, Germany, are described. The equipment is based on the commercially available Freemelt ONE PBF-EB system but has been customized with a unique process chamber to enable real-time synchrotron measurements during the additive manufacturing process. Furthermore, a new unconfined powder bed design to replicate the conditions of the full-scale PBF-EB process is introduced. The first radiography (15 kHz) and diffraction (1 kHz) measurements of PBF-EB with a hot-work tool steel and a Ni-base superalloy, as well as bulk metal melting with the CMSX-4 alloy, using the sample environment are presented. MiniMelt enables time-resolved investigations of the dynamic phenomena taking place during multi-layer PBF-EB, facilitating process understanding and development of advanced process strategies and materials for PBF-EB.<br />

This technical report presents an overview of sample environments which are usable at the PETRA III Swedish Materials Science beamline (potentially requiring arrangement or development of the beamline layout). Alongside the description of each sample environment, illustrative materials science studies are presented that exemplify the use of these sample environments for in situ and/or in operando measurements.  The sample environments are catalogued according to the research application areas, which are categorised as Thermal treatments, Electrochemistry, Catalysis, Thin films, Mechanical response of materials and Levitation. Such cataloguing means that researchers can now start their search for relevant sample environments by looking up a relevant research application area. Citations and links to specifications, published research cases and the organisation that is responsible for a given sample environment, are also provided as a basis for researchers to proceed with their research planning.

Ferritic Oxides Dispersion Strengthened (ODS) steels are of great interest for nuclear fission and fusion power plants. The nano-oxides embedded into the matrix provide the main contribution to the ODS steel strength. Understanding of the precipitation mechanism of ODS steels is thus critical for optimizing the fabrication process, involving Mechanical Alloying (MA) of Fe-14Cr, Y2O3 and TiH2 powders. In this study, results from small-angle X-ray and neutron scattering, atom probe tomography and electron microscopy have been combined to investigate the nano-oxides evolution throughout the whole consolidation thermal treatment until 1100 degrees C. After MA clusters are observed, composed of Y, O and Ti. During heating these clusters grow and new ones nucleate, together with a sequential enrichment in Ti (from as-MA to 700 degrees C) and Y (between 900 and 1100 degrees C). A small quantity of Al is also found in the nano-oxides between 70 0 and 110 0 degrees C. At 1100 degrees C the nano-oxides are found to be mainly Y2Ti2O7 and subsequently progressively transform to Y2TiO5 during isothermal holding. Nano-oxides display however an unchanged extremely low coarsening rate, demonstrating the outstanding stability of both Y2Ti2O7 and Y2TiO5 at 1100 degrees C.

This inventory catalogs the software programs that have proven to be useful to the Swedish research community that conducts research at the PETRA III synchrotron, including the PETRA III Swedish Materials Science beamline.

Based on publications from 2018, the inventory categorizes the various software programs used in research as either data reduction software for 2D area detector X-ray scattering images or data analysis software for WAXS, SAXS, GIWAXS, GISAXS, and PDF.

Each software program has a short description of its functionality, a note of its developer, links to the original publication describing the scientific method that the software is based upon, as well as the site for downloading the software program.