Acquisition of Ultra High Resolution Electron Backscatter Diffractometer to correlate texture and mechanical properties in engineered materials and composites
Abstract
The objective of the current research instrumentation proposal is to request the ÒUltra-High Resolution Electron Backscatter Diffractometer,Ó which is aimed at studying the structure, texture, and mechanical behavior of ultrasonically cast novel 1D Boron Nitride Nanotube (BNNT) reinforced composites. These composites find applications in lightweight, high strength structures for enhanced army competencies. The requested instrument will be integrated with an existing JEOL-JF100 Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope that can operate at high speeds, analyzing 3000 Kikuchi patterns per second, enabling high throughput data acquisition. It can generate high-resolution maps measuring 1244 x 1024 pixels that can distinguish grains as small as 1 nm from one another. This diffractometer contains a database of more than 5000 phases which enables the analysis of a large number of metals, alloys, and composites with a broad spectrum of compositional variation. Minute quantities of nanometric phases, less than 1 % by volume, can be reliably detected due to enhanced atomic number, topographic, and crystal orientation contrasts by five forescatter diodes equipped in the instrument. This instrument will specifically enhance the capabilities to unravel the science of manufacturing one-dimensional BNNT fiber reinforced metal matrix composites by ultrasonic cavitation currently being developed by the PI with support from the Army Research Office (ARO). Other ongoing major DoD research projects that stand to benefit from the proposed instrumentation include (i) Boron Nitride Nanotube Reinforced Titanium Matrix Composite (ONR) and (ii) Splat Sliding Mechanics in Thermally Sprayed Structures (ARL). Hence this proposal on the acquisition of the ÒUltra-High Resolution Electron Backscatter DiffractometerÓ will not only enhance the capability of current research investigations but also enable the establishment of infrastructure for future DoD applications. The proposed instrumentation research will integrate undergraduate and graduate studentÕs training. FIU is a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) with a large minority student population (60% Hispanic, 9% African-American, and 24% Females in the College of Engineering and Computing). The integration of the proposed equipment in classroom teaching and research will have a tremendous impact on increasing the number of future students in STEM from underrepresented groups. K-12 students and teachers will also benefit from FIUÕs existing dual enrollment and outreach programs such as Engineer on Wheels. The total cost of the requested equipment is estimated to be $130,938.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jun 25, 2021
- Source ID
- W911NF2110043
Entities
People
- Arvind Agarwal
Organizations
- Army Contracting Command
- Florida International University
- United States Army