Ronan Byron B.

Bartolazo
APHY 101 - S

Journal #1: Characterisation of the influence of vanadium and tantalum on yttrium-based

nano-oxides in ODS Eurofer steel

Oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) steels are among the most promising structural
materials for nuclear fission and fusion power plants. Aberystwyth University researchers
evaluated the influence of V and Ta on the development of nanoclusters in ODS steels. A
complex structure may arise as a result of a competing effect between Ta, Y, V, and Cr binding
with O. The nanocluster characteristics in ODS Eurofer steel were investigated using electron
microscopy and atom probe tomography. The nanoclusters feature a core/shell structure, with Y,
O, and Ta enriched in the core and Cr and V predominating in the shell. Due to its stronger
affinity, Ta tends to join with O in the core (Y2O3) of the clusters, pushing V and Cr to the
surrounding shell during nanocluster formation.

Journal #2: Detection and quantification of precipitates in 11–12 wt% Cr steels using in-column
secondary electron detectors

The primary discovery of this paper is the new use of a field emission SEM (FESEM)
in-column upper secondary electron detector (USD) for imaging and measurement of
precipitates in a thermally aged 11–12 wt percent Cr steel sample. Images obtained using the
FESEM USD and FIB microscopy methods revealed considerable changes in greyscale
between the matrix and precipitates, allowing them to be measured using x-ray spectroscopy.
Secondary electrons generated directly from primary electron beam interaction were used to
create the photographs. Analysis of data from FESEM USD and FIB images has provided a
unique insight into the precipitate distribution of M23C6 carbides in carbonate steels. This could
enable faster characterisation and may lead to automated larger area mapping of these
materials.

Journal #3: Meso-scale damage detection and assessment of concrete under dynamic
compression loading using X-ray computed tomography

The primary goal of this research is to extract effective and discriminative meso-scale
damage development data from concrete CT test results in order to forecast and explain the
complicated meso-scale behavior of a concrete metal. To categorize concrete meso-scale
damage, a novel meso-scale damage zoning approach was presented. The statistical feature
parameters including contrast, energy, and homogeneity were used to analyze the evolution
characteristics of MD-ITR. At varying specimen heights, contrast, energy, and homogeneity
exhibited distinct evolution rules. Because porosity relies primarily on binary pictures of CT
scans while neglecting the MD-ITR, statistical feature parameters were more susceptible to
stress changes before peak strength than porosity.
References:

Byrne, R. G., McGladdery, R. J., Zhou, Z., Thomson, R. C., Doak, S. S., & Jepson, M. A.

(2020). Detection and quantification of precipitates in 11–12 wt% Cr steels using

in-column secondary electron detectors. Materials Characterization, 165, 110356.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matchar.2020.110356

Fu, J., Davis, T., Kumar, A., Richardson, I., & Hermans, M. (2021). Characterisation of

the influence of vanadium and tantalum on yttrium-based nano-oxides in ODS Eurofer

steel. Materials Characterization, 175, 111072.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matchar.2021.111072

Zhu, L., Dang, F., Xue, Y., Ding, W., Zhang, L., & Xiong, X. (2021). Meso-scale damage

detection and assessment of concrete under dynamic compression loading using X-ray

computed tomography. Materials Characterization, 176, 111149.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matchar.2021.111149