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1 0 A D V A N C E D M A T E R I A L S & P R O C E S S E S | J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 9 was able to form a minute-by-minute 3D animation of the chemical reaction. With the completion of this research, FXI has begun its general user oper- ations, welcoming researchers from around the world to use the beamline’s advanced capabilities. bnl.gov. USING NEUTRONS TO ANALYZE HIGH-STRENGTH STEEL Scientists from AK Steel Corp., West Chester, Ohio, are using neutrons at Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) to discover how different manufacturing processes will affect the performance of the company’s new advanced high strength steel (AHSS) called NEXMET 1000. Neutrons, unlike electrons or x-rays, are highly penetrating, nonde- structive, and sensitive to lighter ele- ments, making them an ideal probe for this novel category of steel materials. “The VULCAN instrument at SNS provides information about the crystal TESTING | CHARACTERIZATION MICROSCOPY IMAGING NOW 10X FASTER Scientists at the National Synchro- tron Light Source II (NSLS-II) developed a transmission x-ray microscope (TXM) that can image samples 10 times fas- ter than previously possible. In addition to reducing the time it takes to com- plete an experiment, a faster TXM can collect more valuable data from sam- ples. To offer these capabilities at the Full Field X-ray Imaging (FXI) beamline, the team needed to build a TXM using the latest developments in ultrafast nanopositioning, sensing, and control. The new microscope was developed in-house at the DOE’s Brookhaven Na- tional Laboratory, Upton, N.Y., through a collaborative effort between the engi- neers, beamline staff, and R&D teams at NSLS-II. Using the new capabilities at FXI, the team imaged the growth of silver dendrites on a sliver of copper. In one minute, the beamline captured 1060 2D images of the sample and recon- structed them to form a 3D snapshot of the reaction. Repeating this, the team Wei Wu holds a sample of AK Steel’s new advanced high strength steel. Courtesy of Kelley Smith/ORNL. Instron’s calibration lab in Norwood, Mass., recently expanded its global reach to include Europe. This enables Instron to provide accredited cali- bration services to customers in North America, Europe, and Asia under a single National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP) accreditation. The lab is accredited to ISO/IEC 17025 for the calibration of force, angularity, length, electromagnetics, time and frequency, hardness, temperature, and pressure by NVLAP, a program administered by NIST. instron.us . The U.S. delegation at the 26th General Conference of Weights and Measures. BRIEFS In November, a convocation of delegates representing 60 coun- tries voted at a conference in Versailles to implement the most significant change to the Inter- national System of Units (SI) in more than 130 years. For the first time, all units will be defined by natural phenomena rather than physical artifacts. nist.gov. From left, Scott Coburn and Wah-Keat Lee at the Full Field X-ray Imaging beamline.