Numerical Simulation of the Effects of Scanning Strategies on the Aluminum Evaporation of Titanium Alloy in the Electron Beam Cold Hearth Melting Process.

In the production of titanium alloy, the electron beam cold hearth melting (EBCHM) process is commonly used due to its effectiveness and the high quality of the end product. However, its main drawback is the significant loss of elements such as aluminum (Al) due to evaporation under the vacuum environment. Numerical coupled thermal-flow models were here developed to investigate the effects of scanning strategies on Al loss in a titanium alloy during EBCHM. The validation model was successful in comparison with previously published experimental data. The Al mass fraction results at the outlet of the water-cooled hearth were strongly influenced by changes in the applied scanning strategies. The results indicated that the Al mass fraction loss could be reduced by using the full-hearth scanning strategies.

Seasonal Changes in Vitamin D Levels of Healthy Children in Mid-Latitude, Asian Urban Area.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate the seasonal changes in vitamin D levels in a healthy pediatric population living in mid-latitude East Asian urban areas. METHODS: A pediatric population was selected from single secondary hospital visitors. Clinical data and serum vitamin D levels were collected retrospectively. Statistical analyses were performed based on the month of the blood sampling date, subject age, and vitamin D supplementation history. The data were categorized into three subgroups based on serum vitamin D levels-adequate (≥30 ng/mL), insufficient (20-29 ng/mL), and deficient (<20 ng/mL). RESULTS: Of the 481 patients, 172 had vitamin D supplementation history. More than 70% of the total study population had inadequate vitamin D levels (<30 ng/mL). The non-supplemented group and the supplemented group showed significantly uneven monthly distribution of the adequate, insufficient, and deficient subgroups. Only the non-supplemented group showed significantly different average vitamin D levels in the summer months compared to the winter months. In the non-supplemented group, vitamin D levels were the lowest in March, the highest in August and September. Significant relevance was noted between vitamin D supplementation status and vitamin D serum level in February and March. There was no significant difference between different age groups in terms of the distribution of vitamin D levels. CONCLUSION: Currently-widespread vitamin D replacement methods seem to have some effect on increasing the overall serum vitamin D levels, specifically during late winter when natural serum vitamin D levels plunge. However, they are unable to fully compensate the seasonal fluctuation.

Simultaneous Improvement in the Strength and Formability of Commercially Pure Titanium via Twinning-induced Crystallographic Texture Control.

The rolling texture formed in the conventional cold rolling process of commercially pure titanium (CP-Ti) for producing a metal sheet significantly limits the potential applications of CP-Ti sheets in various industrial sectors by impairing the formability. Here, we report that by exploiting a twinning-induced crystallographic texture modification, the rolling texture can be weakened and dispersed effectively, leading to a simultaneous improvement in the formability and yield strength. A two-stage cold rolling process was designed with intermediate annealing at a late stage of the conventional cold rolling process to generate deformation twins. The intermediate annealing drove the activation of [Formula: see text] twin and [Formula: see text] - [Formula: see text] double twin in the second stage of the rolling process by removing the internal reaction stress developed in the first stage of the rolling process through recrystallization, and the crystallographic feature of the [Formula: see text] twinned region, i.e., [Formula: see text] twin texture, was effective for type slips and [Formula: see text] twinning to accommodate a through-thickness strain as well as for reducing the planar anisotropy. This enhanced thinning capability and reduced planar anisotropy in the [Formula: see text] twin texture led to an improvement of the formability. We demonstrated the feasibility of the suggested two-stage cold rolling process with ASTM grade 2 CP-Ti.

Al-Ti-Containing Lightweight High-Entropy Alloys for Intermediate Temperature Applications.

In this study, new high-entropy alloys (HEAs), which contain lightweight elements, namely Al and Ti, have been designed for intermediate temperature applications. Cr, Mo, and V were selected as the elements for the Al-Ti-containing HEAs by elemental screening using their binary phase diagrams. AlCrMoTi and AlCrMoTiV HEAs are confirmed as solid solutions with minor ordered B2 phases and have superb specific hardness when compared to that of commercial alloys. The present work demonstrates the desirable possibility for substitution of traditional materials that are applied at intermediate temperature to Al-Ti-containing lightweight HEAs.