The article describes the influence of anomalous values and local variability on the structure of variability and the estimation of deposit parameters. The research was carried out using statistical and geostatistical methods based on the Pb accumulation index in the shale series in part of the Cu-Ag ore deposit, LGCD (Lubin-Głogów Copper District). The authors recommend the use of a geostatistical tool, the so-called semivariogram cloud to determine the anomalous values. Anomalous values determined by the geostatistical method and removed from the dataset have resulted in a significant reduction of the relative variability of data, which is still very large in the case of the analyzed parameter or parameters with similar statistical features such as extreme variability and strongly asymmetric distribution. Calculations of the resources of this element can be treated only as estimates and formally classified to category D. The hypothetical assumption of the absence of sampling errors, resulting in a decrease in the magnitude of local variation, leads to a certain reduction of the median error of resource estimates. However, they are still high (> 35%). This is due to the large natural variability of the accumulation index of Pb on the local observation scale. The current method for collecting samples from mine workings of the Cu-Ag deposits in the Lubin-Głogów Copper District (LGCD), aimed at the proper assessment of copper resources, the Cu content, and at estimating the quality of copper output, makes it impossible to achieve an accuracy of estimates of Pb resources similar to that obtained for the main metal. Theoretically, this effect can be achieved by a strong concentration of the sample collection points and thanks to a multiple increase in the samples weight; this, however, is unrealistic for both economic and organizational reasons. It is therefore to be expected that the assessment of Pb resources and other accompanying elements of similar statistical features (e.g. As), located in parts of the deposit where mining activities are to be carried out, will be subject to significant errors.

The paper proposes a method for copper sheet oxidation by using a laser beam. The thickness of the oxide layer increases with temperature growth; therefore, the proper parameters of the experiment such as pulse power, frequency and the speed of the beam were adjusted. High power diode laser was used in the investigations. The topography of the oxidised copper sheets was determined using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy with EDS analyses. Optical parameters of the deposited layer were characterised by spectrophotometry. Both roughness and thickness of the investigated samples were measured using the confocal laser scanning microscope. The technological recommendations for the laser micro-machining technology to obtain copper sheet oxidation by using the high power laser beam were selected.

The phase transformation dynamic and electrical conductivity equations of the aged Cu-2.7Ti-2.5Ni-0.8V alloy were established in this work. The microstructure evolution and precipitated phases were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The mechanical properties were tested using a hardness testing machine and universal test machine, and the electrical conductivity was measured by the eddy conductivity gauge. The results show that NiTi intermetallic compounds are formed during the solidification, and these phases such as Ni3Ti and NiV3 are precipitated after aging treatment. The fracture morphology displays that a large number of shallow and equiaxed dimples occur on the tensile fracture, indicating a typical ductile fracture. After aging treatment at 450°C for 240 min, the hardness, tensile strength, elongation and electrical conductivity of the Cu-2.7Ti-2.5Ni-0.8V alloy are 184 HV, 459 MPa, 6.3% and 28.72% IACS, respectively.

Eutectic copper oxides (Cu2O) crystallize during the copper solidification process in the ETP grade copper which leads to high oxygen concentrations in interdendritic spaces. It has been experimentally found that they can be regular or elongated, and their size reaches several micrometres. During the multi-cage hot rolling process, homogenization of the oxide distribution in the entire volume of the wire rod occurs. This process is carried out in the soft copper matrix. Throughout the drawing process the fragmentation of oxides transpires along with changes in the shape from angular to more oval in a degree depending on the size of the deformation (wire diameter). Microcracks, fissures and local stress fields in the reinforced copper matrix arise around the oxide particles. The article presents the results of research on the evolution of copper oxides in ingots, wire rods and wires. The results of investigations of the wires properties and the limitations of the drawing process, especially of microwires, are presented.

Secondary or multiple remelted alloys are common materials used in foundries. For secondary (recycled) Al-Si-Cu alloys, the major problem is the increased iron presence. Iron is the most common impurity and with presence of other elements in alloy creates the intermetallic compounds, which may negatively affect the structure. The paper deals with effect of multiple remelting on the microstructure of the AlS9iCu3 alloy with increased iron content to about 1.4 wt. %. The evaluation of the microstructure is focused on the morphology of iron-base intermetallic phases in caste state, after the heat treatment (T5) and after natural aging. The occurrence of the sludge phases was also observed. From the obtained results can be concluded that the multiple remelting leads to change of chemical composition, changes in the final microstructure and also increases sludge phases formation. The use of heat treatment T5 led to a positive change of microstructure, while the effect of natural aging is beneficial only to the 3rd remelting.

Effect of Cu addition on oxide growth of Al-7 mass%Mg alloy at high temperature was investigated. As-cast microstructures of Al-7 mass%Mg and Al-7 mass%Mg-1 mass%Cu alloys showed α-Al dendrites and area of secondary particles. The 1 mass%Cu addition into Al-7 mass%Mg alloy formed Mg32(Al, Cu)49 ternary phase with β-Al3Mg2. The total fraction of two Mg-containing phases in Cu-added alloy was higher than the β-Al3Mg2 fraction in Cu-free alloy. From measured weight gains depending on time at 500°C under an air atmosphere, it was shown that all samples exhibited significant weight gains depending on time. Al-7mass%Mg-1mass%Cu alloy showed the relatively increased oxidation rate when compared with Cu-free alloy. All the oxidized cross-sections throughout the entire oxidation time showed coarse and dark areas regarded as oxides grown from the surface to inside, but bigger oxidized areas were formed in the Al-7mass%Mg-1mass%Cu alloy containing higher fraction of Mg-based phases in the as-cast microstructure. As a result of compositional analysis on the oxide clusters, it was found that the oxide clusters contained Mg-based oxides formed through internal oxidation during a long time exposure to oxidizing environments.

The presented access the influence of Mn content (0-0.94 wt.%) on the course of the cooling curves, phase transformation, macrostructure, and microstructure of Al-Cu alloys for three series: initial (Series I), with the addition of an AlTi master (Series II), and modified with AlTi5B1 (Series III). The maximum degree of undercooling ΔT was determined based on the cooling curves. The surface density of the grains (NA) was determined and associated with the inverse of solidification interval 1/ΔTk. Titanium (contained in the charge materials as well as the modifier) has a significant effect on the grinding of the primary grains in the tested alloys. A DSC thermal analysis allowed for the determination of phase transition temperatures under conditions close to equilibrium. For series II and III, the number of grains decreases above 0.2 wt.% Mn with a simultaneous increase in solidification interval 1/ΔTk. The presence of Al2Cu eutectics as well as the Cu-, Fe-, and Mn-containing phases in the examined samples was demonstrated using scanning electron microscopy.

A Cu-1Cr-0.1Zr alloy has been subjected to ECAP processing via route Bc and aging at 250-800°C. Electron BackScatter diffraction (EBSD), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and X-Ray Diffraction Line Profile Analysis (XRDLPA) techniques have been used to unveil some peculiarities of the grain and subgrain structure with a special emphasis on the comparison of the grain size estimated by the three techniques. For the alloy ECAP processed and aged up to 16 passes, the grain size (from EBSD, 0.2 < d < 5 μm), subgrain size (from TEM, d ~ 0.75 μm) and “apparent” average crystallite size (from XRDLPA, d < 0.25 μm) are manifestly different. The results were compared to the published data and analyzed based on the fundamental aspects of these techniques.

In this study, copper nanoparticles and nanofluids were synthesized by electrical explosion of wire (EEW) in liquid media such as water, ethanol, and acetone. The effect of the different conditions on the properties of the as-synthesized Cu powders and nanofluids were investigated. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis was employed to measure the phase of the as-synthesized powder. Only pure Cu phase appeared in case of acetone condition, but CuO and CuO2 phases could be observed in the others. The EEWed particle size was broadened from under 50 to 100 nm. The results showed that acetone was the best condition for achieving smaller particles, preventing the oxidation of the Cu particles and good stability of the nanofluids.

A paste containing Cu(II) formate rods was prepared, and characteristics of sinter bonding at 250°C under a pressure of 10 MPa were investigated to accomplish a high-speed die attachment for wide-bandgap power chips on Cu finish in air. Synthesis of the plate-type Cu formate particles from CuO was accomplished through a wet reaction for 180 min. Cu, formed in situ in the bondline by pyrolysis of the formate during heating for the attachment, was sufficiently active to lead high-speed sintering within a carbon dioxide-hydrogen atmosphere derived from the pyrolysis, and the oxide layer on the Cu finish was reduced by the hydrogen. As a result, sinter bonding for 10 min formed a robust bonding with a shear strength approaching 27 MPa.

As the most recent video coding standard, High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) adopts various novel techniques, including a quad-tree based coding unit (CU) structure and additional angular modes used for intra encoding. These new techniques achieve a notable improvement in coding efficiency at the penalty of significant computational complexity increase. Thus, a fast HEVC coding algorithm is highly desirable. In this paper, we propose a fast intra CU decision algorithm for HEVC to reduce the coding complexity, mainly based on a key-point detection. A CU block is considered to have multiple gradients and is early split if corner points are detected inside the block. On the other hand, a CU block without corner points is treated to be terminated when its RD cost is also small according to statistics of the previous frames. The proposed fast algorithm achieves over 62% encoding time reduction with 3.66%, 2.82%, and 2.53% BD-Rate loss for Y, U, and V components, averagely. The experimental results show that the proposed method is efficient to fast decide CU size in HEVC intra coding, even though only static parameters are applied to all test sequences.

The paper presents the cellular automaton (CA) model for tracking the development of dendritic structure in non-equilibrium solidification conditions of binary alloy. Thermal, diffusion and surface phenomena have been included in the mathematical description of solidification. The methodology for calculating growth velocity of the liquid-solid interface based on solute balance, considering the distribution of the alloy component in the neighborhood of moving interface has been proposed. The influence of solidification front curvature on the equilibrium temperature was determined by applying the Gibbs Thomson approach. Solute and heat transfer equations were solved using the finite difference method assuming periodic boundary conditions and Newton cooling boundary condition at the edges of the system. The solutal field in the calculation domain was obtained separately for solid and liquid phase. Numerical simulations were carried out for the Al-4 wt.% Cu alloy at two cooling rates 15 K/s and 50 K/s. Microstructure images generated on the basis of calculations were compared with actual structures of castings. It was found that the results of the calculations are agreement in qualitative terms with the results of experimental research. The developed model can reproduce many morphological features of the dendritic structure and in particular: generating dendritic front and primary arms, creating, extension and coarsening of secondary branches, interface inhibition, branch fusion, considering the coupled motion and growth interaction of crystals.

The paper deals with influence of multiple remelting on AlSi9Cu3 alloy with higher iron content on chosen mechanical properties. Multiple remelting may in various ways influence mechanical, foundry properties, gas saturation, shrinkage cavity, fluidity etc. of alloy. Higher presence of iron in Al-Si cast alloys is common problem mainly in secondary (recycled) aluminium alloys. In Al-Si alloy the iron is the most common impurity and with presence of other elements in alloy creates the intermetallic compounds, which decreases mechanical properties. Iron in the used alloy was increased to about 1.4 wt. %, so that the influence of increased iron content can be investigated. In the paper, the effect of multiple remelting is evaluated with respect to the resulting mechanical properties in cast state, after the heat treatment (T5) and after natural aging. From the obtained results it can be concluded that the multiple remelting leads to change of chemical composition and affect the mechanical properties.

Al-4.5Cu alloys are widely used in aerospace industries due to their low weight and high mechanical properties. This group of aluminium alloys is known as 2xx series and exhibits the highest mechanical properties however this alloy is known to suffer from feedability and high tendency for hot tearing. Al-Si alloys (3xx) have improved fluidity and better feedability particularly by several modifications such as Ti, B or Sr. Eutectic temperature is decreased and mechanical properties can be enhanced. Yet, the strength values of this alloy group cannot reach the values of 2xx series. Therefore, in this study, the effect of Ag addition on the fluidity of Al-4.5Cu alloy has been investigated. Standard size spiral mould was used. The casting temperature was selected to be 770oC. Five castings were made and Weibull statistical approach was used to evaluate the results. In addition, coating of the die with BN was also investigated. It was found that Ag addition and BN coating of the die revealed the most reproducible, reliable and high fluidity values.

Ag and Cu powders were mechanically alloyed using high-energy planetary milling to evaluate the sinter-bonding characteristics of a die-attach paste containing particles of these two representative conductive metals mixed at atomic scale. This resulted in the formation of completely alloyed Ag-40Cu particles of 9.5 µm average size after 3 h. The alloyed particles exhibited antioxidation properties during heating to 225°C in air; the combination of high pressure and long bonding time at 225°C enhanced the shear strength of the chip bonded using the particles. Consequently, the chips sinter-bonded at 225°C and 10 MPa for 10 min exhibited a sufficient strength of 15.3 MPa. However, an increase in bonding temperature to 250°C was detrimental to the strength, due to excessive oxidation of the alloyed particles. The mechanically alloyed phase in the particle began to decompose into nanoscale Ag and Cu phases above a bonding temperature of 225°C during heating.

Cu-Ni composite nanoparticles were successfully synthesized by electrical explosion of wire (EEW) method. Cu-Ni alloy and twisted wires with various Ni contents were used as the feeding material for a 3 kV charging voltage EEW machine in an ethanol ambient chamber. The phase structure and magnetic properties of the as-fabricated samples were studied. It was established that the prepared powders after drying have a spherical form with the particle size is under 100 nm. XRD analysis indicated that the nanopowders consisted of binary Cu-Ni phases. Only pure phases of the intermetallic compound Cu-Ni (Cu0.81Ni0.19 and Cu3.8Ni) were observed in the XRD patterns of the samples. The synthesized intermetallic Cu-Ni alloy nanopowders reveal magnetic behaviors, however, the lower Ni content samples exhibited paramagnetic behaviors, meanwhile, the higher Ni content samples exposed ferromagnetic properties.

Al-CuO is a thermite material exhibiting the exothermic reaction only when aluminum melts. For wide spread of its application, the reaction temperature needs to be reduced in addition to the enhancement of total reaction energy. In the present study, a thermite nanocomposite with a large contact area between Al and CuO was fabricated in order to lower the exothermic reaction temperature and to improve the reactivity. A cryomilling process was performed to achieve the nanostructure, and the effect of composition on the microstructure and its reactivity was studied in detail. The microstructure was characterized using SEM and XRD, and the thermal property was analyzed using DSC. The results show that as the molar ratio between Al and CuO varies, the fraction of uniform nanocomposite structure was changed affecting the exothermic reaction characteristics.

Cu-Al-based high temperature shape memory alloys are preferred commonly due to their cheap costs and shape memory properties. In recent years, studies have been conducted on developing and producing a new type of Cu-Al based shape memory alloy. In this study, the CuAl-Cr alloy system, which has never been produced before, is investigated. After production, the SEMEDX measurements were made in order to determine the phases in the Cu84–xAl12Crx+4 (x = 0, 4, 6) (weight %) alloy system; and precipitate phases together with martensite phases were detected in the alloys. The confirmations of these phases were made via x-ray measurements. The same phases were observed by XRD diffractogram of the alloys as well. The values of transformation temperature of alloys were determined with Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) at 20°C/min heating rate. According to the DSC results, the transformation temperature of the alloys varies between 320°C and 350°C. This reveals that the alloys show high temperature shape memory characteristics.

Purpose: The influence of age-hardening solution treatment at temperature 515 degrees centigrade with holding time 4 hours, water quenching at 40 degrees centigrade and artificial aging by different temperature 130, 150, 170 and 210 degrees centigrade with different holding time 2, 4, 8, 16 and 32 hours on changes in morphology of Fe-rich Al15(FeMn)3Si2and Cu-rich (Al2Cu, Al-Al2Cu-Si) intermetallic phases in recycled AlSi9Cu3 cast alloy. Material/Methods: Recycled (secondary) AlSi9Cu3 cast alloy is used especially in automotive industry (dynamic exposed cast, engine parts, cylinder heads, pistons and so on). Microstructure was observed using a combination of different analytical techniques (scanning electron microscopy upon standard and deep etching and energy dispersive X-ray analysis – EDX) which have been used for the identification of the various phases. Quantitative study of changes in morphology of phases was carried out using Image Analyzer software NIS-Elements. The mechanical properties (Brinell hardness and tensile strength) were measured in line with STN EN ISO. Results/Conclusion: Age-hardening led to changes in microstructure include the spheroidization of eutectic silicon, gradual disintegration, shortening and thinning of Fe-rich intermetallic phases and Al-Al2Cu-Si phases were fragmented, dissolved and redistributed within alpha-matrix. These changes led to increase in the hardness and tensile strength in the alloy.

An organobentonite modified with an amphoteric surfactant, tallow dihydroxyethyl betaine (TDHEB), was used as an adsorbent to simultaneously remove Cu(II) and phenol from wastewater. The characteristic of the organobentonite (named TDHEB-bentonite) was analyzed by X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectra and nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherm. Batch tests were conducted to evaluate the adsorption capacities of TDHEB-bentonite for the two contaminants. Experiment results demonstrated that the adsorption of both contaminants is highly pH-dependent under acidic conditions. TDHEB-bentonite had about 2.0 and 5.0 times higher adsorption capacity toward Cu(II) and phenol, respectively, relative to the corresponding raw Na-bentonite. Adsorption isotherm data showed that the adsorption processes of both contaminants were well described by Freundlich model. Kinetic experiment demonstrated that both contaminants adsorption processes correlated well with pseudo-second-order model. Cu(II) had a negative impact on phenol adsorption, but not vice versa. Cu(II) was removed mainly through chelating with the organic groups (-CH2CH2OH and -COO-) of TDHEB. Otherwise, partition into the organic phase derived from the adsorbed surfactant was the primarily mechanism for phenol removal. Overall, TDHEB-bentonite was a promising adsorbent for removing Cu(II) and phenol simultaneously from wastewater.

The 22Cr25NiWCoCu austenitic stainless steel was developed by AB Sandvik Material Technology in Sweden. Due to its high creep strength and good corrosion resistance, this material is well suited for use in superheaters in advanced coal-fired power boilers as well as in other types of steam boilers using various types of fuel. The examined material was subject to long-term ageing for the time of annealing up to 20 000 h at 700 and 750°C. Precipitation processes and microstructure stability as-received and after ageing were investigated. Examination of the microstructure was conducted using scanning electron microscopy. The identification of secondary phases was carried out by X-ray phase composition.
Using the results of the investigations of precipitation processes in the microstructure, both within the grains and at the grain boundaries, their statistical analysis was carried out. To illustrate this impact, the following parameters were used: surface area and equivalent diameter of precipitates. Based on the surface area measurements, the percentage of the phase in the reviewed photo’s total area was calculated.

Cu-Sn alloys have been known as bronze since ancient times and widely used as electrode materials, ornaments, tableware and musical instruments. Cu-22Sn alloy fabrication by hot forging process is a Korean traditional forged high-tin bronze. The tin content is 22 percent, which is more than twice that of bronze ware traditionally used in China and the West. Copper and tin have a carbon solubility of several ppm at room temperature, making Cu-Sn-C alloys difficult to manufacture by conventional casting methods. Research on the production of carbon-added copper alloys has used a manufacturing method that is different from the conventional casting method. In this study, Cu-22Sn-xC alloy was fabricated by mechanical alloying and spark plasma sintering. The carbon solubility was confirmed in Cu-Sn alloy through mechanical alloying. The lattice parameter increased from A0 to C2, and then decreased from C4. The microstructural characteristics of sintered alloys were determined using X-ray diffraction and microscopic analysis. As a result of comparing the hardness of Cu-22Sn alloys manufactured by conventional rolling, casting, and forging and Cu-22Sn-xC alloy by sintered powder metallugy, B0 sintered alloy was the highest at about 110.9 HRB.