In this study, Data Envelopment Analysis is used to measure relative efficiencies of academic departments of an engineering college. Input and output criteria are determined and measured utilizing the academic personnel performance measurement scheme of the College. New measures are developed to compare departments of different disciplines. The discriminating power of the measurement models is improved by restricting criteria weights directly and by using a multiple criteria decision making approach. Sensitivity of the results to exclusion of a criterion and changes in relative importance of the criteria is analyzed. Evaluation of the results jointly by the college administration and the departments is explained for a successful efficiency improvement mechanism.
In this study, the effect of the austempering times on the microstructures and mechanical properties of dual-matrix structure austempered ductile iron (DMS-ADI) was investigated. With this aim, unalloyed as-cast ductile iron tensile samples were austenitized at 810 °C for 30 min to intercritical austenitizing followed by austempering at 350°C for various austempering times (45 min to 180 min). Experimental results showed that dual-matrix structures consisting of proeutectoid ferrite ? ausferrite were obtained in austempered ductile iron from intercritical austenitizing temperatures. It was determined that as the austempering time increased, the ausferritic structure became considerably clear and its volume fraction was almost constant (45-47%) after 90 min of austempering time. The yield and tensile strength of the samples decreased and the total elongation and breaking energy increased with increasing austempering times, but after the 120-min austempering time, both the total elongation and breaking energy of the samples decreased. It was established that the austempering times had no significant effect on the morphology of ausferrite. The best mechanical properties were obtained between 70-and 130-minute austempering times that can be defined as the processing window. In addition, it was determined that the DMS-ADI had similar austempering kinetics with the ADI.
The present study was conducted to uncover effects of partitioning treatment on Cu–Ni–Mo alloyed ductile iron (DI) austempered at different temperatures. For this purpose, the DI samples, produced via sand casting, were austenitized at 900 °C for 60 min, followed by austempering at the temperatures of 275–325–375 °C for 120 min and afterwards a partitioning treatment was applied at 200 °C for 15 min. In the characterization studies, dilatometer, image analysis, JMat-Pro, mechanical tests, XRD, optical microscope, and scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with EBSD detector were utilized. Characterization studies showed that the effects of partitioning treatment were directly correlated with austempering temperature and high carbon austenite volume fraction changed in the range of 19.48–35.45%. That redistribution of carbon (C) between bainitic ferrite and high carbon austenite occurred, in turn, the carbon content of high carbon austenite increased with the partitioning treatment irrespective of austempering temperature were uncovered. Furthermore, the partitioning treatment considerably changed the grain morphologies of both high carbon austenite and banitic ferrite. As a consequence of these microstructural differences, the highest tensile strength of 1489.2 MPa was established in the sample austempered at 275 °C and partitioned at 200 °C, whereas the highest ductility of 5.61% acquired at the austempering temperature of 375 °C.
This study was undertaken to understand the effects of two-step austempering treatment on an AISI 9254 high silicon steel towards tailoring the properties as desired while simultaneously employing the benefits of high and low austempering temperatures. The samples were initially austenitized at 850°C for 20 min, followed by austempering in a salt bath at the temperatures of 250-270-290°Cfor 20 min during the first stage. Subsequently, a second stage austempering was carried out by raising the temperature of the salt bath to 300°C at an average heating rate of 0.5°C/min, and the samples were kept in the salt bath for achieving a total austempering time of 120 min including the heating time. A conventional single-stage austempering was also conducted for comparison purposes, in which the austenitization temperature, the austempering temperatures and total time (stage I and stage II, i.e. 120 min) were kept the same for the benchmark samples. In the characterization studies, tensile test, hardness test, XRD analysis, optical microscope and field emission-scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) equipped with EBSD detector were utilized. The findings of this study indicated that lowering the austempering temperature resulted in refining the structure with a decrease in the amount of austenite. According to the carbon content analysis through XRD patterns, the two-step austempering processes appeared to have considerably increased the carbon content of the austenite irrespective of austempering temperature. The best ultimate tensile strength (U.T.S) of 2194 MPa was achieved in the conventionally austempered sample at the lowest temperature of 250°C, while the best yield strength (Y.S.) of 1753 MPa was reached in the stepped austempered sample initially at 250°C followed by 300°C. In general, two-step austempering process led to a higher yield strength while affecting the ultimate tensile strength and total elongation depending on the austempering temperature.
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