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ProtoXRD
X-ray Diffraction Systems
Since its founding in 1967, Proto Mfg. has been developing cutting-edge instrumentation for the characterisation of materials. The product line includes various x-ray diffraction (XRD) instruments: residual stress and retained austenite measurement systems, powder diffractometers, Laue single-crystal orientation systems, and high-resolution diffractometers. In addition, they supply x-ray tubes and custom equipment to meet customers’ unique needs.
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Laboratory, portable, and ultra-portable residual stress and retained austenite measurement systems.
Superior high-resolution x-ray diffractometers for characterising thin films and single-crystal materials.
Custom system solutions with the speed, accuracy, and reliability that are the hallmark of the standard ProtoXRD
Customisable crystal orientation systems for production and R&D.
High-end systems for advanced applications such as phase-contrast imaging and micro-CT.
A wide selection of off-the-shelf or custom x-ray tubes produced at Proto’s own x-ray tube facility.
Integrating custom automation solutions into your laboratory, test facility, or production line.
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Addititive Manufacturing
3D printing is increasingly being used as an alternative method of manufacturing components. In particular, replacement parts that were manufactured via traditional methods such as casting are now being made using additive manufacturing processes. While a printer can produce a dimensionally identical part, the process may not produce the same residual stress distribution in the part. The repeated cycles of heating and cooling that are required to deposit the layers of metal cause localised expansion and contraction, which in turn can create residual stress.
Aerospace
Residual stresses play a key role in the life of aerospace structures. Proto provides both measurement services and x-ray diffraction residual stress measurement instruments, enabling our customers to obtain residual stress measurements in the lab or in the field on various aerospace components
Automotive
X-ray diffraction has become the industry standard for residual stress characterisation of automotive components. It is an essential tool for process optimisation, design improvements, and failure analysis.
Bridges
The weight of the concrete and the steel superstructure in a bridge, and thus the resultant dead load in each of the critical members, are well known when the bridge is initially constructed, assuming all goes to plan. However, major maintenance, repair, or any significant damage to the structure can cause the loads to redistribute and thus change the dead loads and the load path. Therefore, it is important to know what these new dead loads and load paths are to ensure safe and reliable operation of the bridge. The in-service dead loads in metal bridge components can be measured using Proto’s x-ray diffraction (XRD) systems quickly and cost effectively without disrupting structure use.
Cement
The performance characteristics of cement are directly related to its phase composition. For example, ASTM type III cement develops high early strength and is characterised by having a larger mass fraction of alite. In comparison, ASTM type IV cement is known to have a low heat of hydration and is characterised by having a much lower mass fraction of alite. Therefore, having prior knowledge of the phases in a cement mixture and their relative amounts allows one to have control over the physical characteristics of the final product.
Corrosion
Corrosion reduces structural integrity and can ultimately lead to part failure. Furthermore, both scale and corrosion products can result in blockages, necessitating costly downtime and repairs. Powder x-ray diffraction (XRD) is a powerful technique that allows rapid identification of scale and corrosion products. While chemical analysis methods can be used to determine elemental composition, they cannot identify what phases are present in scale and corrosion products. In addition, powder XRD can also distinguish between polymorphic phases with the same chemical composition.
Geology
Geologists study the earth in order to understand its processes and to extract valuable resources. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis provides a multitude of information about crystalline phases within rocks, which is essential to understanding their mineralogy, chemistry, and formation conditions. XRD data provides direct information about the identity of crystalline phases, their relative abundances, crystallite size, strain, and site chemistry.
Pipelines
Residual stress plays an important role in many of the issues found in pipelines, such as stress corrosion cracking (SCC), hydrogen induced cracking (HIC), fatigue cracking, welding stresses, heat treatment effectiveness, surface enhancements due to cold work, ending due to seismic activity, and installation stresses. The significant effect that residual stress has on the performance and life of a component makes it extremely important to characterise these stresses.
Power Generation
Residual stresses created during the manufacturing process can lead to stress corrosion cracking, distortion, fatigue cracking, premature part failure, and instances of over design. The nondestructive nature of the x-ray diffraction (XRD) technique has made the residual stress characterisation of power generation components a useful tool for process optimisation, design improvements, and failure analysis.
Shot Peening
Peening effectiveness is normally characterised via the Almen intensity and the % coverage. It should be noted that many potentially different residual stress gradients can result from what may appear to be the same deflection of the Almen strip and observed % coverage. The % coverage is an optical assessment of the as-peened surface and is generally thought of as a measure of the uniformity of peening on the component surface.
Welds
Residual stresses created during the welding process can lead to stress corrosion cracking, distortion, fatigue cracking, premature failures in components, and instances of over design. The nondestructive nature of the x-ray diffraction technique has made the residual stress characterisation of welds a useful tool for process optimisation and failure analysis, particularly since components can be measured before welding, after welding, and after post-welding processes have been applied.
