New metal-ceramic materials with high tolerance to extreme stress
A fluid dynamic study of the pumping system of the carboneras thermal power plant
January 16, 2017
Trends of fashion anticipation through technology
December 1, 2016The Structural Integrity and Materials Reliability Centre (CIEFMA UPC) and the company Sandvik Hyperion have successfully developed a project on microstructural optimisation of cemented carbides, to improve the performance and reliability of these materials for use in tools.
Initially, the mechanical integrity of these compound materials (which in industrial practice are known as hard metals, carbides or widia) was studied systematically under extreme stress: fatigue, corrosion and thermal shock. Based on the conclusions, critical parameters were identified and validated through microstructure-performance correlations for the development of new metal-ceramic compounds. Parameters included the relative content, the chemical nature, the interconnectivity and the size/shape/distribution of the constituent phases. As a result, Sandvik Hyperion and CIEFMA UPC will work together for four more years to improve the micromechanical design of new metal-ceramic compounds, using as a basis the previous study and an understanding of the mechanical response at various scales: nano, micro and macro.
Related Projects
- The research group IMEM-BRT of the UPC leads the TherGel project, which aim is to combine the properties of both materials in a conductive polymer hydrogel that could be used in water evaporation systems, as filtration membranes and as solid-state electrolytes that are active in electrochemical cells of capacitive deionisation of salt water.
- The research group Plastics and Ecological Composites (e-PLASCOM) of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya - BarcelonaTech (UPC), and the Catalan Plastics Center (CCP), work in a project that aims to design ad hoc natural rubber-based composites, with specific compositions and geometries, to be optimally integrated into both EC and BC technologies at prototype level.
- The research group Eco-friendly Plastics and Composites (e-PLASCOM) at the Universitat Politècnica Catalunya - BarcelonaTech (UPC) is participating in the European Advanced Engineering and Research of aeroGels for Environment and Life Sciences (AERoGELS) project. This project is designed to bring together the knowledge of academic, industrial and regulatory experts on the research and technology of aerogels at European scale.
- Researchers in the Polymer Materials and Textile Chemistry (POLQUITEX) research group of the Department of Chemical Engineering at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya - BarcelonaTech (UPC) participate in the WAVE project, who aim is to recycle elastomeric waste (such as tyres and scraps from building roofs), for its subsequent reuse and recovery in various industrial sectors (automobile, civil, electrical).
