Image produced at LCE by PPGCEM members receives 3rd place award in a competition sponsored by Gerdau

    An image collected by Otávio Henrique Borges (PhD candidate), alongside professors Francisco Gil Coury and Victor Carlos Pandolfelli, all affiliated with PPGCEM-UFSCar, was awarded 3rd place in the XXII MetMat Photomicrography Contest, organized by the Department of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering at the Polytechnic School of USP, with sponsorship from Gerdau.

          An image collected by Otávio Henrique Borges (PhD candidate), alongside professors Francisco Gil Coury and Victor Carlos Pandolfelli, all affiliated with PPGCEM-UFSCar, was awarded 3rd place in the XXII MetMat Photomicrography Contest, organized by the Department of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering at the Polytechnic School of USP, with sponsorship from Gerdau (https://www.pmt.usp.br/fotos-premiadas-no-xxii-metmat-2024).

         Entitled "Spines in Spinel Fields" the SE/EDS image collected on an XL-30 equipment at the Laboratory of Structural Characterization (LCE/UFSCar) portrays a commercial electro-fused magnesia-chromium aggregate wherein a periclase matrix (green) is studded with compositionally complex spinel precipitates (lilac). The distinct dilatometric behavior of both phases leads to the formation of oriented cracks and slits, resembling spines in the material's microstructure.

           Beyond its aesthetic appeal, the analysis provided deeper insights into the mechanisms involved in the flexibility of this material, helping the search for more efficient and eco-friendly alternatives. This is the main target of the doctoral project developed at the Materials Microstructure Engineering Group (GEMM/UFSCar) with support from RHI-Magnesita (global leader in refractories) and funding from the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP - grant number 21/00114-2) and the Federation for International Refractory Research and Education (FIRE)

    1.png

    Image provided by the authors

    2.png

    Image provided by the authors