Papers by Author: Yoshinobu Motohashi

Abstract: The Zn-22Al alloy with fine-equi-axed has been well known as a typical superplastic metallic material [1]. In the present study, The Zn-22Al alloy ingot of 20mm thickness was homogenized, either air-cooled or water-quenched, and then hot-rolled to a thickness of 2mm. Microstractural observation, showed that in the air-cooled specimens lammellar microstructure was formed after homogenization, and become fragmented to fine-grained microstructure as the hot rolling process proceeded. In the water-quenched specimens, equi-axed fine-grained microstructure with grain size under 2.1μm was attained and maintained throughout the hot rolling process.

Abstract: Friction stir processing (FSP) is a method for controlling the microstructure that has been proposed by applying friction stir welding, FSW. In this study, microstructure and mechanical properties of a 7075 aluminum alloy subjected to multi-pass FSP, MP-FSP, are assessed to obtain fundamental knowledge for improving the plasticity of aluminum alloys. The MP-FSP has been applied to 7075 alloy plates with T6 and O tempers, and microstructural characterization has been made by means of optical and scanning electron microscopies together with EDX and EBSD analyses, while mechanical properties were measured by means of micro hardness and tensile tests at room and high temperatures. From microstructural observation, a new zone, PBZ, has been discovered between stir zones, SZs. The PBZ is composed of two types of (fine and coarse) grains, where the coarse grain contains many sub-grains. Hardness in PBZ is intermediate between that in BM and SZ both in T6 and O specimens; hardness generally decreases and increases in T6 and O specimens, respectively, by MP-FSP. In accord to the hardness change, strength at room temperature is decreased by MP-FSP in T6 specimen, and increased in O specimen. Elongation at 773K is increased both in T6 and O specimens because of superplastic deformation. However, local elongation is smaller in PBZ than in SZ, which can be attributed to the microstructural change by the deformation: grain shape remains equiaxed in SZ while it becomes elongated in the tensile direction in PBZ.

Abstract: The Zn-Al eutectoid alloy has been well known as a typical superplastic metallic material with small grain sizes. In the present study, controlling conditions in hot rolling such as temperature, total number of passes, reduction in a pass, etc. have been investigated in a ZnAl eutectoid alloy to obtain finegrained microstructures. Homogenized ingot specimens were hotrolled by a total rolling reduction of 90% with different pass schedule. Microstructural observation on the final sheet showed that nearly equiaxed finegrained microstructure with grain size of about 2µm was formed when the ingot was waterquenched after homogenization.

Abstract: During superplastic deformation (SPD) of tetragonal zirconia polycrystals containing 3 mol% yttria (3Y-TZP) at high strain-rates, a number of crack-like flat cavities having very narrow gaps lying along grain boundaries mostly normal to the tensile axis are produced in addition to conventional cavities. The formation and growth of these flat cavities are responsible for the strain softening that appears on the true stress versus true strain curves. The growth and coalescence of the flat cavities were a main cause of the degradation of elongation to fracture. We have found that a simple treatment, in which the superplastic deformation is temporally stopped, i.e., the cross-head movement is reversed and accordingly the applied load is removed, and then the specimen is kept at the test temperature for several minutes, is surprisingly effective to reduce the flat cavities. Carrying out this simple treatment repeatedly, after 30% nominal stain during the SPD, led to an increace in total elongation by about three times larger than that of a specimen not subjected to such a treatment. This treatment can also recover the strength and accordingly mechanical properties of the superplastically deformed 3Y-TZP to that of the undeformed state. This finding is believed to be quite significant for practical applications of superplasticity in 3Y-TZP, because the flat cavities can be closed very simply by keeping a product at the forming temperature after or during the superplastic forming process.

Abstract: Superplasticity in an Al-6%Cu-0.45%Mg-0.4%Mn-0.16%Sc-0.12%Zr alloy subjected to intense plastic straining through equal-channel angular extrusion (ECAE) was studied in tension at strain rates ranging from 5.6×10-4 to 5.6×10-3 s-1 in the temperature interval 350-450°C. The alloy had a non-uniform microstructure with an average crystallite size of 1.2 m. The volume fraction of high-angle grain boundaries was about 57%. In spite of small crystallite size the alloy shows moderate superplastic properties. The highest elongation-to-failures of 320% appeared at a temperature of ~425°C and an initial strain rate of ~1.410-3 s-1, where the strain rate sensitivity coefficient, m, was about 0.33. The relationship between superplastic ductilities and microstructure stability is analyzed.

Abstract: Grain refinement taking place in a commercial 7055 aluminum alloy under equal channel angular extrusion at a temperature of 250°C, was examined. The material was deformed up to a total strain, ε, of ~12. At ε≈1, the development of subgrain bands was found. Upon further straining the average misorientation of deformation-induced boundaries increases; low-angle grain boundaries (LAGBs) gradually convert into true high-angle grain boundaries (≥15°) (HAGBs). At ε≈4, a structure consisting of boundaries with low and high angle misorientations was observed. At ε≈12, a structure with an average grain size of ∼0.7 µm was formed. This size is roughly similar to that for subgrains developed at preceding strains. It was shown that the formation of submicrocrystalline grains occurs through continuous dynamic recrystallization both along initial boundaries and within interiors of original grains as well.

Abstract: The 4mol%Sc2O3 doped ZrO2 (4ScSZ) showed a superplastic-like large elongation in a range of strain-rate at 1773K. The large elongation was caused by both of high strain-rate sensitivity and high strain hardening during the deformation. Ion conductivity of the 4ScSZ, deformed superplastically at a relatively high strain-rate region, was higher than that of non-deformed one, suggesting that superplastic deformation can improve its conductivity. These results are discussed with probable microstructural evolution.

Abstract: The effects of Zr ion irradiation on the mechanical properties of a typical superplastic ceramic, 3mol% yttria stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystal (3Y-TZP), were examined and discussed. The specimens were irradiated by Zr11+ ions with 130MeV at fluence level of 3.5×1012 and 2.1×1013 ions/cm2 in the TANDEM accelerator at Tokai Reasearch Establishment of JAEA. Microstructures after annealing and bending deformations to fracture of Zr ion irradiated 3Y-TZP were examined. It was found that the ratio of intergranular fracture to intragranular fracture was increased in the region that was affected by Zr ion irradiation. It seemed that grain boundary cohesion became relatively weak in the irradiated surface region. The influence of Zr ion irradiation on the mechanical properties almost disappeared when the irradiated 3Y-TZP was subsequently heated to 1173K.

Abstract: The deformation mechanism in the nanometer grain size range has been basically investigated from the results of microstructural observation after superplastic deformation in a Zn-Al eutectoid alloy in which a reverse grain size dependence of superplasticity was previously reported: flow stress increases and elongation decreases with decreasing grain size when grain size is markedly reduced to nanometer range. By controlling the aging condition after solution treatment and subsequent quenching, two specimens are prepared: the as-quenched specimen with ultrafine grains of 83nm in diameter and aged specimen with normally fine grains of 2.6μm. The elongation is confirmed to be smaller in the as-quenched specimen than in the aged specimen, although the flow stress is lower. As a result of TEM observation on the interior of the grains, dislocations are rare in the as-quenched specimen, while a significant density of dislocations are observed in the aged specimen. This result strongly supports the mechanism previously proposed by Mishra et al. that the accommodation process, i.e., the dislocation glide inside the grains, becomes more difficult with decreasing grain size in the nanometer grain size range, even though the grain boundary sliding as the major process becomes facilitated. Roughly assessed m-value was in accord with this mechanism.

Abstract: Usual static recrystallization treatment and a method to provide intense plastic deformation, ARB namely Accumulative Roll-Bonding, have been applied to two beta type titanium alloys, i.e. Ti-29Nb-13Ta-4.6Zr and Ti-15V-3Cr-3Sn-3Al. Microstructural change as well as work-hardening behavior was examined as a function of plastic strain. Both the work-hardening rate and the hardness at the initial as-hot-rolled state were smaller in the Ti-Nb-Ta-Zr alloy than in the Ti-V-Cr-Sn-Al alloy. Recrystallized grains of 14μm in size were obtained by the usual static recrystallization treatment, which was significantly smaller than that of the starting as-hot-rolled plate of 38μm. No significant change other than flattening and elongating of the original grains was found in the optical microscopic scale. It was revealed, however, from a TEM observation combined with selected area diffraction technique that geometric dynamic recrystallization occurred in the Ti-Nb-Ta-Zr alloy deformed at room temperature by a true strain of 5, resulting in an ultra-fine-grained microstructure where the grain size was roughly estimated to be about 100nm.