Papers by Keyword: Ultrafine Grained Material

Abstract: Two Al alloys (AA1570 and AA6061) in the solutionized state have been processed by HPT at room temperature to achieve a homogeneous UFG structure. After HPT, the grain size was found to have a mean value about 100 nm for both alloys. Measured yield stress values of HPT-produced UFG alloys being plotted in terms of the Hall-Petch relationship were found to exceed the plot predictions for the range of ultrafine grain size. For both alloys, Atom Probe Tomography measurements allowed to reveal segregation of solute elements along grain boundaries. The origin of the extremely high strength of the alloys nanostructured by HPT is discussed with a special attention to the influence of such segregations on the emission and the mobility of dislocations.

Abstract: We present a study of the kinematics of Twist Extrusion (TE) and show that the mode of deformation in ТЕ is a simple shear. Unlike in Equal-Channel Angular Pressing (ECAP), there are two main shear layers perpendicular to the specimen axis. TE has a significant commercial potential due to the following physical effects: intensive grain refinement; homogenization and mixing; intensive powder consolidation. Donetsk Institute for Physics and Engineering created a TE Center to showcase the process and educate investors. Our experience with the center has shown that the most prospective directions are producing ultrafine-grained (UFG) alloys for medical and aircraft applications.

Abstract: On the basis of generalization of research results obtained at the Institute for Metals Superplasticity Problems, principles of fabrication of bulk ultrafine-grained and nanostructured materials by multiple isothermal forging are formulated. Multiple isothermal forging is shown to be a universal high-performance deformation technique for the grain refinement in metals and alloys maximally exploiting the potential of dynamic recrystallization.

Abstract: It is shown that for ultrafine grained materials obtained with severe plastic deformation methods, the value of elongation up to fracture does not determine ductility, while the reduction of area up to fracture does determine it. The latter characteristic gives information about how an alloy structure resists the formation of discontinuity flaws under deformation in a hard stress state. We show that for a commercial grade titanium that underwent Twist Extrusion (TE), the value of , and thus ductility, is higher in the UFG state than in the coarse-grained state.

Abstract: The present paper reports on the effect of texture on the cyclic stress-strain response (CSSR) and the fatigue life of ultrafine-grained (UFG) interstitial-free (IF) steel. Tests in the lowcycle fatigue (LCF) regime were conducted on material that was processed by the equal channel angular extrusion (ECAE) technique along the so called “efficient” route 8E. This route has been shown to result in a homogeneous microstructure with a high fraction of high angle grain boundaries (HAGBs), which are beneficial for a stable CSSR. In addition, the evolution of the microstructure was characterized by means of electron optical techniques, including electron backscattered diffraction, and by X-Ray diffractometry. It was found that the initial texture of specimens cut from the ECAE billet along different orientations with respect to the extrusion direction (ED) has a substantial effect on the CSSR of the UFG IF steel. Furthermore, microscopy results indicated the notable influence of the last ECAE processing step on the evolution of damage in the material.

Abstract: Experiments were conducted on an Al-0.2wt.%Sc alloy to evaluate the effect of equalchannel angular pressing (ECAP) on its creep behaviour. ECAP was conducted at room temperature with a die that had an internal angle of 90° between the two parts of the channel. The subsequent extrusion passes were performed by route BC up to 8 ECAP passes. Creep tests in tension were performed on the as-pressed samples at 473 K under an applied stress range between 10 to 50 MPa. For comparison purposes, some creep tests were performed also on the unpressed alloy. Following ECAP and creep testing, samples were prepared for examination by means of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) equipped with an electron back scattering diffraction (EBSD) unit. The observation of the surface of the ECAPed samples after creep exposure showed the occurrence of mesoscopic shear bands. The EBSD data reveal that these bands are separated by high angle grain boundaries. The creep resistance of an alloy is a little decreased after one ECAP pass. However, successive ECAP pressing lead to a noticeable decrease of the creep properties. Thus, the Al-0.2wt.%Sc alloy processed by 8 ECAP passes exhibited faster creep rate by about two and/or three orders of magnitude than the unpressed alloy when creep testing at 473 K and at the same applied stress. The detrimental effect of ECAP on the creep resistance is probably a consequence of a synergetic effect of mesoscopic sliding of groups of grains along shear bands, more intensive grain boundary sliding and creep cavitation in creep of the ultrafine-grained material.

Abstract: Equal channel angular extrusion (ECAE), involving intense plastic straining under high applied pressure is generally recognized and extensively studied top down approach for producing bulk ultra-fine grained (UFG) metallic materials, and even going down in size to the nanometer range. In this research efforts are made to identify conditional under which grains with size less than 100 nm form after ECAE. Evolution of microstructure of Al-Li based alloy processed by ECAE is analyzed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Observations on the effect of precipitates/second phase particles in the sample on the deformation characteristics and their role on the increased degree of grain fragmentation process is highlighted. Samples of Al-Li based alloy are solutionized, quenched and aged at different temperatures to obtain well formed precipitate laths/plates before subjecting to ECAE. During the deformation process these precipitates disintegrate into fragments and get dispersed into the Al matrix. The fragments of a few nanometers size bring about drastic changes in the flow as well as the recovery characteristics of processed samples. Evidence for dynamic recrystallisation taking place during the ECAE processing is presented. It was observed that optimal thermal treatment leads to more effective grain refinement and consequently an ultra-fine grained microstructure could be achieved even after single pass in Al-Li based alloy containing precipitates and second phase particles.

Abstract: Equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) is a material processing method for developing an ultrafine-grained (UFG) structure by introducing severe plastic deformation (SPD) in a bulk material with no changes in its cross-section. Numerous analytical and numerical studies on equal channel angular pressing have been performed in recent years. The present work focuses on the effects of die geometry width is defined by the angle between two channels Φ, angle on outer corner of die Ψ (or radius R) and angle within internal corner (or radius r) of die on average effective strain after one pass route. Next, there are analyses of strength properties, plastic properties, fracture mechanism, as well as analyses of Cu structure evolution after SPD by ECAP technology, in the paper. The sixteen passes through the ECAP matrix were realized using route C. The following experimental results and their analyses, the biggest increase of strength and microhardness was proved already after 4th pass. Valuation of fracture surfaces shows that after 12th pass plastic fracture is transformed from transcrystalline ductile mixed fracture. After 4th pass, the avarage grain size decreased from initial approximate size 7 µm to 200 nm, whereby the average grain size was changeless after subsequent deformations. Possible mechanism of high-angle boundary nanograins evolution consists of formation of cell structure, subgrains that transform with the increase of deformation into nanograins with big-angle misorientation.

Abstract: In situ tensile tests were conducted on ultra fine grained (UFG) pure Pd and Pd-x% Ag (x=20, 60) alloys of different stacking fault energies (SFEs) with the aim to study the general features of the deformation process of UFG materials as well as the peculiarities brought by the alloying. Grey scale correlation analysis (GSCA) was used to determine the true strain as well as the surface flow within the gauge length. It was shown that the largest values of strength and uniform elongation were obtained in Pd-20% Ag alloy. The GSCA revealed different macroscopic flow processes in this sample as compared with pure Pd and Pd-60% Ag alloy. In particular, pure Pd and Pd-60% Ag alloy demonstrated rapid localization of plastic flow in the neck area, whereas Pd-20% Ag samples showed a large contribution of homogenous deformation even after neck formation. It has been proposed that larger strain hardening capacity of Pd-20% Ag alloy is related to its lower SFE as compared with that of pure Pd: the lower is the SFE, the more difficult is the cross slip and climb of split dislocations, which leads to enhanced dislocation storage and, ultimately, to increased strain hardening. At the same time, further decrease of SFE in Pd-60% Ag sample leads to development of deformation twinning and consequent reduction of strain hardening. The dimpled structure of fracture surfaces in the samples will also be discussed in relationship to these findings.

Abstract: The stress-strain curves at high strain rate superplasticity were analyzed for Ti-6Al-4V and aluminum 1420 industrial alloys in ultra-fine grained state produced by severe plastic deformation. For both alloys the observed strengthening effect can be caused by grain growth under the above mentioned conditions resulting to increase of grain boundary sliding resistance. In the case of aluminum alloy the grain recovery can be accompanied by significant change in phase composition which is also stimulates the recrystallization process.