Papers by Author: Yuri Estrin

Abstract: Kinetic characteristics of internal interfaces in ultrafine grained (UFG) materials represent an aspect that is central to their potential applications. Interface diffusion is strongly affected by ultrafine crystallinity and incorporated defects. In the present study the radiotracer technique was applied for measuring grain boundary (GB) diffusion of Ni in UFG Cu-1wt.%Pb alloy. The UFG specimens were prepared by equal channel angular pressing at room temperature. GB diffusion was investigated at room temperature in Harrison’s C kinetic regime under conditions in which Ni diffusion - even along general high-angle GBs in pure Cu - would hardly be measurable by the mechanical sectioning (as the corresponding penetration depths would be less than 100 nanometers). The present study highlights the existence of ultra-fast diffusion paths in severely deformed material. An atypical time dependence of the room-temperature diffusion data indicates a quite involved nature of these “fast” diffusion paths in the Cu-1wt.%Pb alloy.

Abstract: In many cases degradation of a material initiates at its surface, including wear, corrosion, fretting, etc. Such deterioration / failure modes are hence surface properties sensitive. This study is one discrete effort towards the optimization of the surface microstructure for specific properties by understanding the fundamentally unknown ‘corrosion – grain size relationship’ for magnesium. There is a special need to understand this relationship as we outline in some detail within this study. Results showed that there was a significant variation in corrosion resistance with grain size, which is a key finding; however these trends were also strongly dependent upon the specific thermomechanical processing used to prepare the specimens.

Abstract: Crystallographic texture includes much information on a material’s behaviour that depends on the processed material itself, the particular thermomechanical processing it has undergone, and the quality of the process. ECAP processed pure Mg and Mg alloys were characterised by their texture and are discussed in terms of texture symmetry. For all types of deformation, including ECAP, the basal plain orientation has to follow certain general rules. Particularly for larger number of passes the ECAP texture can be explained in terms of standard rolling or extrusion textures.

Abstract: This work focuses on the effect of strain rate on the deformation behaviour of an ultrafine grained Al alloy 6082 produced by equal channel angular pressing. The uniform tensile elongation was found to increase with decreasing strain rate very substantially. This effect is discussed in terms of the mechanisms that control plastic deformation of the alloy.

Abstract: Severe plastic deformation of a Mg-Al-Ca alloy resulted in different types of grain structure. High pressure torsion (HPT) was shown to lead to the formation of a nanocrystalline structure with a grain size of 100-200 nm, while equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) produced ultrafine grained (UFG) or submicrocrystalline (SMC) structures, depending on the ECAP temperature. An UFG structure with a grain size of 2-5 -m was formed at 300°C, as distinct from a finer SMC structure with a grain size of 300-800 nm formed at a lower temperature (220°C). The possibility of increasing the strength of the alloy in the UFG condition by a factor of 1.5-2, combined with a reasonable level of ductility and enhanced functional properties was thus demonstrated. ECAP of annealed Mg-Al-Ca with the formation of UFG structure was shown to lead to increased yield strength (by a factor of 2) and enhanced tensile ductility (by a factor of 3).

Abstract: The radiotracer technique was applied for measuring grain boundary diffusion of Ni in ultrafine grained (UFG) copper materials with different nominal purities and in a Cu—1wt.%Pb alloy. The UFG specimens were prepared by equal channel angular pressing at room temperature. The stability of the microstructure was studied by focused ion beam imaging. Grain boundary diffusion of the 63Ni radioisotope was investigated in the temperature interval from 293 to 490K under the formal Harrison type C kinetic conditions. Two distinct short-circuit diffusion paths were observed. The first (relatively slow) path in the UFG materials corresponds unambiguously to relaxed high-angle grain boundaries with diffusivities which are quite similar to those in the respective coarse-grained reference materials. The second path is characterized by significantly higher diffusivities. The experimental data are discussed to elucidate the contribution of nonequilibrium grain boundaries in the deformed materials. Alternative contributions of other shortcircuit diffusion paths cannot be ruled out, particularly for the Cu-Pd alloy.

Abstract: Texture and microstructure formation during equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) of Mg-0.49%Al-0.47%Ca alloy were studied. The selected ECAP condition (route BC, N=6 passes, true strain ε ≈ 6.8, T=300°C) ensures an ultrafine-grained structure of the alloy and basal texture, inclined at an angle of 45-55º relative to the direction of extrusion. The expectation that such a change of the texture, together with the refinement of microstructure, should improve the low temperature ductility of this material was confirmed by tensile testing.

Abstract: ECAP (equal channel angular pressing) is a well-known severe plastic deformation method used to produce ultra-fine grained materials. The dimensions of ECAP specimens are usually in the centimeter range. For producing high strength wires or fibres with diameter in the micrometer/millimeter range, downscaling of the ECAP process may be a viable option. To achieve this, several experiments were carried out. For downscaling to the micrometer range, porous steel discs can be used as processing tools. In this case, a solid state infiltration method as a variant of the forcefill process can be used. Extremely large strain is introduced due to the material flow through the tortuous channels inside a porous pre-form leading to grain refinement depending on processing conditions. To obtain specimens with a typical dimension in the millimeter range, the forcefill approach was altered by using die channels produced by conventional drilling. The tool geometry used is equivalent to conventional ECAP, but with a multi-channel die. Microstructure investigations demonstrating significant grain refinement confirm the viability of this approach.

Abstract: Typically, magnesium alloys with conventional grain size exhibit microplastic behaviour already at low stresses. This behaviour restricts the technological utilization of these materials. The aim of this study was to investigate whether ECAP can be applied to enlarge the elastic range of AS21X. Cyclic tensile tests at room temperature were carried out to examine the effect of the ECAP induced grain refinement on the elastic properties. The results obtained are compared with the cyclic behaviour of conventional, coarse-grained AS21X. The differences in mechanical properties between the two conditions are discussed.

Abstract: Microstructure evolution and corrosion behaviour of ultrafine-grained copper processed by equal channel angular pressing (route Bc) were studied. The results of TEM investigation of the microstructure evolution are presented along with the measurements of the corrosion potential, the corrosion current density and the anodic current density for two aggressive media, viz. 3% NaCl and 1M H2SO4. An important finding and a good news is that the corrosion behaviour of ECAP copper is not inferior to and does not qualitatively differ from that of the coarse grained material. Moreover, it was shown by SEM investigation that the corrosion damage is more homogeneous in ultrafine grained ECAP processed copper than in its coarse grained counterpart.