AUTOMOTIVE
Automotive industry is characterised on one hand with the priority to maintain and, if possible, to increase the safety of drivers and passengers and on the other hand with the needing of reducing CO2 emissions and, thus, the weight of vehicles. To resolve this issue, an increasing amount of work is being done on researching and characterizing new high-grade materials which can potentially reduce emissions. Higher mechanical performances are needed to reduce sheet thickness, and serious hydrogen embrittlement susceptibility is the natural consequence.
Advanced high-strength steels (AHSS) exhibit both considerable mechanical properties and good formability. Unfortunately, during the production process, hydrogen can be adsorbed in various phases: such as electrolytic processes as pickling, electroplating, cataphoresis, and phosphating or even through the moisture present during welding or heat treatment, which can cause hydrogen absorption in the material.
For these reasons it becomes fundamental the materials selection and hydrogen content monitoring in semi products.
THE NEW INSTRUMENT FOR ELECTROCHEMICAL HYDROGEN PERMEATION
HELIOS 2 PERMEATION is an innovative laboratory instrument that can measure both permeability and hydrogen diffusion coefficient through metallic steel sheets. HELIOS 2 PERMEATION is suitable for evaluating the effectiveness of barrier coatings for hydrogen flux, which is essential for identifying materials in the new hydrogen economy.
The test is carried out referring to ASTM G148 and ISO 17081 Standards.
The traditional equipment used for this type of experiments is the so-called Devanathan-Stachurski double cell, HELIOS 2 PERMEATION replaces the anodic cell with a probe which contains the hydrogen gas sensor.
HELIOS 2 PERMEATION does not require the passivation preparation of the anodic side of the sample and it can assess also diffusivity and hydrogen flux through the coated samples.
Once acquired, the signal that depends on the hydrogen flux through the examined test sample, is processed by proper mathematical codes (by means of a dedicated panel PC) and hydrogen diffusion parameters are evaluated.
HELIOS 2 PERMEATION is a completely automated instrument!
Letomec offers customized instruments and consultancy to define optimal hydrogen charging conditions (current density, electrochemical solution, re-circulation of the test solution, air circulation, etc.), set-up, which depends on the hydrogen charging side that can be electrochemical or gaseous.
The HELIOS Platform including HELIOS 2 PERMEATION is coverd by the Patent N. EP 2912452 B1.
The instrument can be customized according to the user's need.
THE FIRST NON-DESTRUCTIVE MEASUREMENT OF DIFFUSIBLE HYDROGEN CONCENTRATION WITHOUT ANY SAMPLE CUTTING
HELIOS 4- HOT PROBE is an innovative instrument useful to perform diffusible hydrogen measurements on metallic samples or directly on semi-products or finished components. It consists of a portable equipment and is based on a solid-state gas sensor
The special hot probe can locally heat the sample in order to get fast, precise and repeatable measurement of diffusible hydrogen content in the metal without any damage to the sample itself.
HELIOS 4- HOT PROBE is versatile, it operates with no fixed geometry, moreover, as it is portable, it can perform measurements directly in situ or on production line.
Once acquired, the signal is processed by proper mathematical codes (on by means of a dedicated panel PC), in order to return the diffusible hydrogen content.
Letomec offers a customized probe according to the test samples shape and dimensions.
EP2912452
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PROCESS CONTROL IN FURNACE
HELIOS MAGMA, is an innovative equipment under development. It is meant to achieve a real time monitoring of the furnace atmosphere in order to return an alarm in case of presence of anomalous amount of certain substances. The main aim is the prevention of dangerous situations and production scraps.
HELIOS MAGMA can be applied to:
-Hot Stamping furnace for Automotive Industry;
-Enamelling furnace for home appliance industry.