Papers by Keyword: Strain-Hardening

Abstract: A friction stir weld in 6005A-T6 aluminum alloy has been prepared and analyzed by micro-hardness measurements, tensile testing and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The locations of the various weld zones were determined by micro-hardness indentation measurements. The flow behavior of the various zones of the weld was extracted using micro-tensile specimens cut out parallel to the welding direction. The measured material properties and weld topology were then introduced in a fully coupled micro-mechanical finite element model, accounting for nucleation and growth of voids as well as void shape evolution. The model shows satisfactory preliminary results in predicting the tensile behaviour of the weld and the true strain at fracture.

Abstract: Depending on the loading conditions, geometry and material characteristics, the ductility of thin metallic films is controlled either by the resistance to plastic localization or by the resistance to internal damage. New on-chip tensile tests performed on submicron aluminium films show significant strain hardening capacity leading to relatively good resistance to necking, while damage occurs through void nucleation at grain boundaries followed by their growth and coalescence. These results are discussed in the light of several other studies presented in the recent literature in order to unravel the origins of the frequently reported poor ductility of thin metallic films, and the various means existing to improve it.

Abstract: Electrodeposited nanocrystalline (nc) Ni having an average grain size of 20 nm was annealed at 443 K for different holding times. An examination of the microstructure following annealing showed three important features. First, all annealed samples exhibited abnormal grain growth, which was manifested by the presence of large grains that were surrounded by regions of small grains (bimodal grain distributions). Second, annealing twins existed in the large grains of the samples that showed a bimodal grain distribution. Third, by estimating the density of annealing twin, it was found that annealing nc-Ni at 443 K resulted in a maximum twin density after 5h. Following annealing treatment, specimens with different volume fractions of twins were tested under uniaxial tension at 393 K and a strain rate of 10-4 s-1. The results showed that both strength and ductility in nc-Ni attained maximum values after annealing for 5h. The role of both bimodal grain distributions and annealing twins in enhancing ductility and strength was discussed.

Abstract: This paper reviews the ductility of nanostructured and ultrafine iron obtained using a variety of methods. Mechanical milling of powder and subsequent hot consolidation, one of the most popular methods offer high mechanical strength but poor ductility. Improvements made in the consolidation processes and the introduction of final heat treatments, in addition to new approaches such as spark plasma sintering and high pressure torsion, have increased the total plastic strain of nanostructured iron. The development of bimodal structures enables the existence of strain hardening and more uniform deformation. The paper also includes a steel study, which finds that the hardness of milled powder and the role of carbon atoms inside ferrite grains make it more difficult to improve the ductility of nanostructured samples.

Abstract: The high brittleness of cement-based materials is the dominant reason that causes cracking, corrosion, and even losing the load bearing capacity of the structure. PVA fiber reinforced Strain-hardening Cement-based Materials (SHCC) which is characterized by strain-hardening and multi-micro cracking significantly improves the mechanics performance of cement-based materials. In this paper, 3-point-bending and direct tensile tests were conducted to contrast influence of the material mechanics on SHCC by aggregate gradation. Tests results demonstrate that appropriate particle gradation may improve the strain hardening section in the stress-strain curve. Therefore, the maximum diameter of aggregate can be enlarged from 110μm to 1.25mm. Comparatively large aggregate will be convenient for such materials in the practical application and popularization.

Abstract: A process of friction plating was developed for modification of the surface of metal items by strain hardening combined with application of protective coatings aimed to improve corrosion resistance, hardness, wear resistance and other functional properties. Friction plating is performed by means of a metal wire brush rotating at high speed. Coating material in the form of a rod or strip is pressed with a certain force to the rotary wire brush. In the contact zone, coating material is heated up to a high temperature. Particles of coating material are picked up by the ends of brush wires and transferred onto the treated surface. At the same time, the surface of the product is conditioned and heated. Investigations of friction plating have shown that plastic deformation of the surface layer combined with application of coating material particles ensures their strong adhesion to the substrate.

Abstract: In nonlinear dynamic analyses of RC structures based on fiber-based discretization of member cross-sections, the constitutive model used to represent the cyclic behavior of reinforcing steel typically plays a significant role in controlling the structural response especially for nonductile systems. The accuracy of a fiber-section model is almost entirely dependent on the ability of both the concrete and reinforcing steel constitutive material models to represent the overall inelastic behavior of the member. This paper describes observations related to the fundamental properties of reinforcing steel such as buckling, hardening, diminishing yield plateau and growth of curvature, Bauschinger effect, and low-cycle fatigue and strength degradation that are relevant to the overall task of developing an accurate material model for use in seismic response analysis of reinforced concrete structures.

Abstract: Samples of nanostructured and ultrafine grained steels with carbon content ranging from 0.05 to 0.55%wt. have been obtained by a warm consolidation process from mechanically milled powders and subsequent heat treatments. In general, homogeneous grain size distributions were obtained except for the low-carbon steel in which a bimodal grain size distribution was observed when it was heat treated at high temperatures. The stress-strain response has been studied by means of compression tests. Nanostructured materials showed high strength but poor results in terms of ductility. In the low-ultrafine range (mean grain size between 100-500 nm) the three materials showed an increase in the ductility with strain softening. Finally, when the average grain size was close to 1 µm samples showed larger ductility and strain hardening.

Abstract: A tungsten heavy alloy (92%W, Ni-Co matrix) is subjected to severe plastic deformation (SPD) by high pressure torsion (HPT) at room temperature up to equivalent strains of 0.7, 5.3, 10.7 and 14.3. The microstructure and the mechanical properties are investigated by cylindrical compression samples at quasi-static and dynamic loading. The harder spherical W particles are homogeneously deformed within the softer matrix, becoming ellipsoidal at medium strains and banded at high strains without shear localization or fracture. Results of quasi-static loading show that the strength is approaching a limiting value at strains of ~10. At this strain for the matrix a grain size of ~80 nm and for W a cell size of ~250 nm was observed, suggesting strain concentration on the matrix. The initial yield stress of 945 MPa for the coarse-grained condition is increased thereby to an ultimate value of 3500 MPa, while a peak stress of ~3600 MPa is reached. Such remarkably strength has never been reported before for pure W or W-based composites. The strain hardening capacity as well as the strain rate sensitivity is reduced drastically, promoting the early formation of (adiabatic) shear bands.

Abstract: Investigations of mechanical properties of nanocrystalline (nc) materials are still in interest of materials science, because they offer wide application as structural materials thanks to their outstanding mechanical properties. NC materials demonstrate superior hardness and strength as compared with their coarse grained counterparts, but very often they possess a limited ductility or show low uniform elongation due to poor strain hardening ability. Here, we present the results of investigation of the microstructure and mechanical properties of nc Pd and Pd-x%Ag (x=20, 60) alloys. The initially coarse grained Pd-x% Ag samples were processed by high pressure torsion, which resulted in formation of homogenous ultrafine grain structure. The increase of Ag contents led to the decrease of the resulted grain size and change in deformation behavior, because of decreasing of stacking fault energy (SFE). The samples with larger Ag contents demonstrated the higher values of hardness, yield stress and ultimate stress. Remarkably the uniform elongation had also increased with increase of strength.