​​​​Callum O'Dwyer

There were a number of difficulties in the course of the project including:

 

• The desired carbon contents of steel were incorrectly ordered, resulting in the delivery of steel in the wrong diameter and not the desired carbon content. The increased diameter was jamming the HBIM and some damage from the few samples tested could be seen on the machine. Therefore steel was used from another professor in the correct diamater, which was later discovered to be 0.1% carbon and 0.5% carbon steel based on micrographic analysis. This set the project back by 2-3 weeks.
   

• Due to these delays to the project, the majority of the experimental work was done during other deadlines and exams in the degree programme. This was handled reasonably well - however it was a squeeze on time. 
   

• The HBIM was chosen for its availability and ease to manufacture specimens - however there is a Charpy impact machine in storage in the University of Edinburgh. It is in a large shipping container with many other objects, and is difficult to remove. The Charpy impact machine is more widely used in industry and there is more literature surrounding it, and could be preferentially used or rehabilitated for use in the department. 
   

• Partly due to the squeeze on time, partly due to its cost - Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) analysis was not completed for this project. It would resolve some of the more tricky microstructures and allow fracture surface analysis to take place.

 

 

The following measures are recommendations in further development of the project:
 

• For further development of the project, the use of SEM is highly recommended. It will potentially resolve some of the more mysterious microstructures found in the steel.
   

• Source and use the desired steels to properly analyse the steel used in pressure plates in oil refineries.
   

• Other mechanical properties could be examined: use of tensile tests, for example. These were omitted from this project to use less workshop time.
   

• Use more specimens for data points in the impact tests to give more accurate data, and ascertain how much error is prevalent in the experiments.
   

• Other types of steel, not just carbon steel can be examined.
   

• The HBIM could be developed not just as a teaching tool for use in a classroom, but also as a laboratory demonstration.