Gas-loading furnace for deuterium-charged alloy-casting

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Metallurgy
• Chemical Engineering

Background:

• Controlled gas porosity in alloys is crucial for tailoring material properties.
• Existing methods for gas loading and degassing may lack precision and safety.
• Understanding gas-solid interactions under various conditions is essential for alloy development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and characterize a furnace for safe and controlled gas loading/degassing of alloys.
• To investigate the effects of process parameters on gas retention in solidified alloys.
• To enable the controlled generation of gas pores in metallic materials.

Main Methods:

• Development and characterization of a specialized furnace.
• Processing samples under high vacuum, deuterium-nitrogen atmospheres, and pressures up to 800 hPa.
• Analysis using Thermal Desorption Spectroscopy (TDS), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray Diffraction (EDX), and Rutherford Backscattering Spectroscopy (RBS).

Main Results:

• High gas loading concentration, pressure, temperature (50-150 K above liquidus), and holding times (up to 60 min) enhance retained gas.
• Absence of copper segregation confirmed by EDX and RBS.
• Controlled generation of distinct amounts of gas pores, including near-zero porosity, was achieved.

Conclusions:

• The developed furnace provides safe and controlled gas loading/degassing capabilities.
• Process parameters significantly influence the amount of retained gas and pore formation.
• The facility allows for precise control over gas porosity in solidified alloys, impacting material performance.