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To investigate the dynamic recrystallization (DRX) behavior of forged 42CrMoA steel during hot deformation, the hot deformation experiments of forged 42CrMoA steel under different deformation conditions (strain rate, temperature, and strain) were carried out in this paper. The hot deformation activation energy of forged 42CrMoA steel was determined to be 413627.2 J · mol - 1 . The constitutive model and DRX kinetic model of the steel were established. Analyzing the reconstructed parent phase grains reveals that when the strain is constant, as the deformation temperature increases and the strain rate decreases, the average size and DRX volume fraction of the parent phase grains gradually increase, and the peak stress gradually decreases. When the deformation temperature and strain rate are constant, as the strain increases, the average size of the parent phase grains gradually decreases, and the volume fraction of DRX gradually increases. Based on the cellular automaton theory model and considering the influence of grain deformation on the DRX process, a cellular automaton dynamic recrystallization (T-DRX-CA) model for forged 42CrMoA steel based on topological deformation technology was established, and the microstructure evolution under different deformation conditions was simulated. The microstructure evolution under different deformation conditions was simulated, which was compared with experimental results. The results showed that the average errors between the simulated and experimental values of the average grain size of the parent phase, the volume fraction of DRX, and peak stress were all less than 8%, and the simulated results were in good agreement with the experimental values, which indicates that the established model can accurately predict the DRX behavior of the forged 42CrMoA steel in the process of hot deformation. The hot deformation behavior of forged 42CrMoA steel under different deformation conditions was investigated by a cellular automaton dynamic recrystallization (T-DRX-CA) model based on topological deformation technique. The results showed that the average errors between the simulated and experimental values of the average grain size of the parent phase, the volume fraction of DRX, and peak stress were all less than 8%, and the simulated results were in good agreement with the experimental values, which indicates that the established model can accurately predict the DRX behavior of the forged 42CrMoA steel in the process of hot deformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A methodology that accurately simulates the brittle behavior of epoxy polymers initiating at the molecular level due to bond elongation and subsequent bond dissociation is presented in this paper. The system investigated in this study comprises a combination of crystalline carbon nanotubes (CNTs) dispersed in epoxy polymer molecules. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are performed with an appropriate bond order-based force field to capture deformation-induced bond dissociation between atoms within the simulation volume. During deformation, the thermal vibration of molecules causes the elongated bonds to re-equilibrate; thus, the effect of mechanical deformation on bond elongation and scission cannot be captured effectively. This issue is overcome by deforming the simulation volume at zero temperature-a technique adopted from the concept of quasi-continuum and demonstrated successfully in the authors' previous work. Results showed that a combination of MD deformation tests with ultra-high strain rates at near-zero temperatures provides a computationally efficient alternative for the study of bond dissociation phenomenon in amorphous epoxy polymer. In this paper, the ultra-high strain rate deformation approach is extended to the CNT-epoxy system at various CNT weight fractions and the corresponding bond disassociation energy extracted from the simulation volume is used as input to a low-fidelity continuum damage mechanics (CDM) model to demonstrate the bridging of length scales and to study matrix failure at the microscale. The material parameters for the classical CDM model are directly obtained from physics-based atomistic simulations, thus improving the accuracy of the multiscale approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper develops a modification of the shared frailty model that allows for the distribution of the response and the random effects to be determined by the data (from within the exponential family of distributions). A simulated maximum likelihood and a computationally simpler simulated linear least squares approach to estimating this model are also presented. These generalizations are important for modelling high-temperature deformation because they allow life time predictions to be made with levels of confidence attached to them, for the real world situation where repeated experimental observations are not normally distributed and not independent of each other. An application to a commonly used material in power generation revealed that ignoring these characteristics lead to an underestimate of the minimum safe life when operating at 773 K and stresses above 235 MPa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new method is developed in this paper to deal with the thermomechanical response of continuous fiber-reinforced composites. Treating the matrix as an elastic-perfectly plastic solid, the analytical formulae of the deformations and stresses of the matrix are obtained from the plasticity theory, axisymmetric equilibrium equation, and stress–strain and strain–displacement relations. The fiber is taken to be an anisotropic, elastic material, and the formulae calculating its deformations and stresses are also presented. The boundary conditions and the consistence of deformations and stresses between the fiber and matrix, and between elastic and plastic regions of the matrix are employed to determine the unknown constants in the analytical formulae. With the developed method, the thermomechanical stress distributions in composites reinforced with circumferentially orthotropic, radially orthotropic and transversely isotropic fibers are investigated, and how the elastic-perfectly plastic property and different materials of the matrix affect the thermomechanical response of the composites is discussed. For the thermomechanical loads and composite systems given in this paper, the elastic-perfectly plastic property of the matrix can reduce the compressive stresses in the fiber, and the tensile circumferential and axial stresses in the matrix. A strong matrix can raise the compressive stresses in the fiber, and the tensile circumferential and axial stresses in the matrix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The deformation behaviour of heterogeneous tensile bars is investigated by using the recently developed multi-level finite element method (MLFEM) that allows for a numerical coupling between the microscopic and macroscopic stress-strain behaviour, combined with an accurate elasto-viscoplastic constitutive model (single-mode compressible Leonov model) and a detailed finite element model of the microstructure. The method is used to predict the influence of the microstructure on localisation phenomena in plane strain notched and hour-glass-shaped polycarbonate and polystyrene tensile specimen with different volume fractions of non-adhering or adhering rubbery particles. In Part I and II of this series it was already suggested that elimination of the unstable post-yield strain softening behaviour of a polymeric material by appropriate microstructural modifications may be essential for toughening. The results of the multi-level analyses presented in this paper confirm this statement. It is shown that a stable post-yield response, resulting from microstructural adaptations, is indeed a prerequisite for the distribution of plastic strains over the whole macro- and microstructure: massive shearing is promoted by the introduction of voids in the polycarbonate or load bearing pre-cavitated rubbery particles in the polystyrene. Furthermore, it is shown that the voids indeed reduce the macroscopic dilative stresses to safe values. The results suggest that localisations of strain and stress will always occur on a macro and/or micro level. Catastrophic failure, however, can be postponed by stabilisation of the post-yield behaviour of the material and reduction of the macroscopic dilative stresses through appropriate microstructural adjustments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the fatigue properties and deformation behavior of the T6-treated Mg-2.99Nd-0.18Zn-0.38Zr (NZ30K) and an AZ91D-T6 magnesium alloys with the same grain size. Compared with the AZ91-T6 alloy, the NZ30K-T6 alloy shows significant increases in mechanical properties, achieving 17 MPa in YS, 51 MPa in UTS, 2.4 % in elongation, and 15 MPa in FS, respectively. The NZ30K-T6 alloy also shows higher cyclic stress amplitudes in comparison with the AZ91-T6 alloy. This is attributed to increased matrix strength from the higher precipitate strengthening in the NZ30K-T6 alloy. The cyclic stress amplitude of the AZ91-T6 alloy increases with increasing the number of cycles. For the NZ30K-T6 alloy, the cyclic stress amplitude first increases and then decreases during cyclic deformation. Hysteresis loops were symmetrical at all total strain amplitudes due to the lessened extents of texture in these cast magnesium alloys and the absence of twinning-detwinning during cyclic deformation. For both AZ91-T6 and NZ30K-T6 alloys, the cracked slip bands initiate the fatigue cracks and also assist the crack propagation. The Coffin-Manson law and Basquin equation can be used to evaluate the fatigue parameters and predict the LCF lives of both AZ91-T6 and NZ30K-T6 alloys. The multi-scale fatigue (MSF) life models and the same model parameters were also used to predict the HCF lives of these alloys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

All the five independent elastic properties/constants of micro- and nano-structured hierarchical and self-similar random irregular honeycombs with different degrees of cell regularity are obtained by analysis and computer simulation in this paper. Cell wall bending, stretching, and transverse shearing are the main deformation mechanisms of hierarchical honeycombs. The strain gradient effects at the micro-meter scale, and the surface elasticity and initial stress effects at the nano-meter scale are incorporated into all the deformation mechanisms in the analysis and finite element simulations. The results show that the elastic properties of hierarchical random irregular honeycombs strongly depend on the thickness of the first-order cell walls if it is at the micro-meter scale, and that if the thickness of the first-order cell walls is at the nano-meter scale, the elastic properties of hierarchical random irregular honeycombs are not only size-dependent, but are also tunable and controllable over large ranges. In addition, the geometrical properties of nano-structured hierarchical random irregular honeycombs are also tunable and controllable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the plastic deformation behavior and strain homogeneity of the ZK60 Mg alloy during the multi-pass cyclic extrusion and compression (CEC) was simulated using the finite-element method (FEM) with a view to provide an insight into the mechanics of the process. Physical modeling (PM) experiment with same alloy was carried out to verify the results of the numerical simulations. The results show that two vortex flow regions with opposite flow direction are formed inside the cylindrical workpiece during CEC deformation. Although the deformation is inhomogeneous in both end regions of workpiece, a uniform region of equivalent strain exists, and the extent of uniform deformation increased with the increase in workpiece length. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper has clarified the anelasticity of 8Y-FSZ/α-alumina composites wherein the 8Y-FSZ phases are dispersed like islands. The amount of anelastic strain generated and the manner of anelastic deformation were compared to those of monolithic 8Y-FSZ. The anelastic strains of six kinds of 8Y-FSZ/α-alumina, as well as of monolithic 8Y-FSZ and monolithic α-alumina, were measured. The results showed that the anelastic strain was produced even in the composite where 8Y-FSZ phases existed as islands, and that the more the anelastic strain produced, the higher the volume fraction of 8Y-FSZ. In addition, the composition with a fully densified alumina phase had the effect of inhibiting anelastic strain in the 8Y-FSZ phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some basic aspects of electromagnetic radiation (EMR) emission during quasi-static plastic deformation and crack propagation in ASTM B 265 grade 2 titanium sheets are reported in this paper. It has been observed that titanium emits several intermittent EMR signals starting near the yield and continuing up to fracture. The EMR emissions are sensitive to the applied strain rates. The number of EMR emissions shows a parabolic variation with strain rate, exhibiting a maxima. It appears that the temporary pinnings of the dislocations injected from the crack tip, which is essential for the emission of EMR as described in a recent model by the authors, do not adequately occur at high as well as low strain rates. At elevated temperatures, the square of the EMR amplitude is observed to be proportional to $$ \exp {\left( { - {mU} \mathord{\left/ {\vphantom {{mU} {kT}}} \right. \kern-\nulldelimiterspace} {kT}} \right)}, $$ where U is the activation energy for the movement of jogs, k the Boltzmann constant, T the temperature and m ≤ 1.0. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanical behaviour of polymeric foams depends on several parameters such as temperature, material density and strain rate. This last point implies that compression tests on conventional testing machines are not sufficient. Study of the behaviour in practical situations requires special apparatus like fly wheels, drop towers or Hopkinson bars, allowing high compression speeds. The polypropylene foams studied are multi-scale materials; agglomerated beads (2–3 mm in diameter), visible to the naked eye, are composed of microscopic closed cells (a few tens of microns). The response of the material to a shock consists of three regions: an elastic phase, a plastic phase and densification. The plastic phase is of prime interest since a great part of the shock energy is dissipated there. Microtomography was used in order to better understand damage mechanisms during the stress plateau of the plastic phase. The final objective of this work is to determine the strain field of porous materials at several levels of shock. As tomography is not fast enough to directly follow the impact deformation, interrupted impact tests were carried out by controlling the levels of sample deformation. Between each impact step, a microtomographic analysis offers insight on the progressive deformation of the sample. The results of these impact tests completed by a microtomographic visualisation in 2D are presented and commented in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is of great interest for economical and security reasons to understand the compressive properties of underground cemented paste backfill. In this paper, the stress–strain behaviours of cemented paste backfill (CPB) subjected to uniaxial compression and conventional triaxial tests are presented and discussed. The effect of CPB basic components, strength, ageing and confining pressure on the deformation behaviour of CPB are evaluated and discussed. The results show that the stress–strain behaviour of CPB is strongly influenced by the confinement, the age and strength of CPB, and its components. The increase in confining pressure leads to a change in the mode of failure, in the stiffness, and an increase in the strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, we investigate dislocation processes in a Ni-base single crystal superalloy (LEK94) after high temperature and low stress creep. Specimens were creep deformed at 240 MPa and 980 °C to a strain of 20%. We use diffraction contrast transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to show that two γ-channel dislocations with different Burgers vectors combine and form a super dislocation that shears the γ′-particle. This type of cutting event has now been observed for three single crystal superalloys with different alloy chemistry (CMSX-4, CMSX-6 and LEK94 in the present work) and we therefore conclude that it represents a generic elementary dislocation process which governs high temperature (around 1000 °C) and low stress (around 240 MPa) creep. The present paper provides microstructural evidence for this type of cutting processes and discusses the results in the light of previous work published in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A high fidelity assessment of accumulative damage of woven fabric composite structures subjected to aggressive loadings is strongly reliant on the accurate characterization of the inherent multi-scale microstructures and the underlying deformation phenomena. Damage in composite sandwich and joint structures is characterized by the coexistence of discrete (delamination) and continuum damage (matrix cracking and intralaminar damage). A purely fracture mechanics-based or a purely continuum damage mechanics-based tool alone cannot effectively characterize the interaction between the discrete and continuum damage and their compounding effect that leads to the final rupture. In this paper, a hybrid discrete and continuum damage model is developed and numerically implemented within the LS-DYNA environment via a user-defined material model. The continuum damage progression and its associated stiffness degradation are predicted based on the constituent stress/strain and their associated failure criteria while the discrete delamination damage is captured via a cohesive interface model. A multi-scale computational framework is established to bridge the response and failure predictions at constituent, ply, and laminated composite level. The calculated constituent stress and strain are used in a mechanism-driven failure criterion to predict the failure mode, failure sequence, and the synergistic interaction that leads to global stiffness degradation and the final rupture. The use of the cohesive interface model can capture the complicated delamination zone without posing the self-similar crack growth condition. The unified depiction of the continuum and discrete damage via the damage mechanics theory provides a rational way to study the coupling effects between the in-plane and the out-of-plane failure modes. The applicability and accuracy of the damage models used in the hybrid dynamic failure prediction tool are demonstrated via its application to a circular plate and a composite hat stiffener subjected to shock and low velocity impact loading. The synergistic interaction between the continuum and discrete damage is explored via its application to a sandwich beam subjected to a low velocity impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fracture process of composite laminates subjected to static or fatigue tensile loading involves sequential accumulation of intra- and interlaminar damage, in the form of transverse cracking, splitting and delamination, prior to catastrophic failure. Matrix cracking parallel to the fibres in the off-axis plies is the first damage mode observed. Since a damaged lamina within the laminate retains certain amount of its load-carrying capacity, it is important to predict accurately the stiffness properties of the laminate as a function of damage as well as progression of damage with the strain state. In this paper, theoretical modelling of matrix cracking in the off-axis plies of unbalanced symmetric composite laminates subjected to in-plane tensile loading is presented and discussed. A 2-D shear-lag analysis is used to determine ply stresses in a representative segment and the equivalent laminate concept is applied to derive expressions for Mode I, Mode II and the total strain energy release rate associated with off-axis ply cracking. Dependence of the degraded stiffness properties and strain energy release rates on the crack density and ply orientation angle is examined for glass/epoxy laminates. Suitability of a mixed mode fracture criterion to predict the cracking onset strain is also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is now recognized that grain boundary sliding (GBS) is often an important mode of deformation in polycrystalline materials. This paper reviews the developments in GBS over the last four decades including the procedures available for estimating the strain contributed by sliding to the total strain, ξ, and the division into Rachinger GBS in conventional creep and Lifshitz GBS in diffusion creep. It is shown that Rachinger GBS occurs under two distinct conditions in conventional creep depending upon whether the grain size, d, is larger or smaller than the equilibrium subgrain size, λ. A unified model is presented leading to separate rate equations for Rachinger GBS in power-law creep and superplasticity. It is demonstrated that these two equations are in excellent agreement with experimental observations. There are additional recent predictions, not fully resolved at the present time, concerning the role of GBS in nanostructured materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A general approach to simulate the mechanical behaviour of entangled materials submitted to large deformations is described in this paper. The main part of this approach is the automatic creation of contact elements, with appropriate constitutive laws, to take into account the interactions between fibres. The construction of these elements at each increment, is based on the determination of intermediate geometries in each region where two parts of beams are sufficiently close to be likely to enter into contact. Numerical tests simulating a 90% compression of nine randomly generated samples of entangled materials are given. They allow the identification of power laws to represent the evolutions of the compressive load and of the number of contacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanical properties of cold-drawn pearlitic wires are controlled largely by the microstructure developed during processing and, to some extent, by the residual stresses during drawing. The advent of powerful computers and the availability of equipment to perform diffraction experiments, have made possible numerical predictions and accurate measurements of residual stresses. This paper—a review of work done by the author and collaborators—shows how stress-relaxation losses, environmental assisted cracking and fatigue life of cold-drawn pearlitic wires are influenced by residual stresses. The role of pre-stretching loads, or of stress relieving treatments, on stress-relaxation can be understood when the profile of residual stresses is known. Some awkward results in times to fracture during hydrogen embrittlement tests can be explained if accurate values of residual stresses near the surface are known, and the same is true of fatigue life. In this context numerical simulations and measurements performed on cold-drawn pearlitic wires, with different profiles of residual stresses, have shown very good quantitative agreement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal Matrix Composites (MMCs) are potential candidate materials in the aerospace and automobile industries because of its attractive properties, in particular, their high specific properties, and Superplastic forming (SPF) is a good solution to the problems in the forming process of MMCs due to their low ductility resulting from the incorporation of reinforcement. High strain rate superplasticity (HSRS) is attractive for industrial applications because superplastic forming at high strain rates can reduce forming time greatly. The strength of P/M 6061 Al and 6061 Al/SiCp (3 μm) composites during superplastic deformation at temperatures of 853 K–871 K and a high strain rate of 0.1 s-1 has been studied in this paper. Experimental results presented a softening effect by the SiCp reinforcement. Mechanical and microstructural analyses show that the decrease in the strength during high strain rate superlastic (HSRS) deformation is associated with the decreased grain size of the Al matrix with increase of the SiCp volume fraction or the extrusion ratio, and the occurrence of liquid phase. The formation of the liquid phase was related to segregation of the solute atom during HSRS deformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of an experimental study of interfaces and dislocation substructures in a Nb-Ti base alloy subjected to creep deformation at different stress levels. Particular attention has been paid to the orientation relationship between the b.c.c. structure matrix and the f.c.c. structure precipitate. A specific orientation relationship, namely: [100]/(110) M∥[220](111) P (where M and P subscripts denote matrix and precipitate, respectively) was observed in the sample subjected to highest stress level. While the coincident site lattice model predicts a (100)/(100) − 45° relationship, the orientation relationship developed is more consistent with lock-in and invariant line models. The implications of the observed relationship are discussed for the strengthening of the solid solution alloy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knitted fabrics are known for their excellent stretching and draping properties due to their curved fabric architecture. In recent years knitted fabrics have been used as reinforcement network for polymer sheet thermo-processing. This paper describes a method for evaluating the product height, product profile and strain distribution of a flat polymer matrix sheet, reinforced with knitted fabric, undergoing the sheet thermoforming process. The availability of a knitted fabric reinforced PMC to stretch is proposed to be equal to the least ratio of curved loop length to its projected length. The product profile is then obtained from the availability of the material to stretch and the tool geometry involved. Finally a mapping scheme is proposed to evaluate the severity of deformation in terms of strain distribution. A reasonably good agreement is observed between the model and experimental results. An understanding of the severity of deformation distribution would shed light on the location of highest degree of deformation as well as its magnitude and should therefore assist the product designer in dealing with the thermoforming process of this new material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nonwovens are complex three-dimensional anisotropic structures and consisting of fibres orientated in certain directions, which are bonded by thermal, chemical, mechanical entanglement or a combination of these techniques. Thermally bonded are further classified in two categories, i.e. through-air and calendared nonwoven structures. In this study, a modified micromechanical model describing the tensile behaviour of thermally bonded nonwovens is proposed by incorporating the effect of fibre re-orientation during the deformation. The anisotropic behaviour of through-air bonded structures is demonstrated through theoretical stress–strain curves and the relationship between the fibre re-orientation and fabric strain is also analysed. Furthermore, the failure criterion of thermally bonded nonwovens is analysed using pull-out behaviour of fibres in the system. A parametric study revealing the dependencies of various structural and geometrical characteristics of fibres on pull-out behaviour of fibres in thermally bonded nonwovens is also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strain-rate cycling tests associated with ultrasonic oscillation were conducted at 80–239 K for two kinds of KCl:Sr2+ (0.05 mol% in the melt) single crystals: quenched and annealed specimens. Examining the relationship of temperature and dislocation velocity-effective stress exponent, m*, estimated from the data obtained in this series, we could find the suitable force-distance relation between a dislocation and the impurity. The force-distance relation for the quenched specimen approached to the Fleischer's model taking account of the Friedel relation rather than the Fleischer's model. As for the annealed specimen, the SQ was the most appropriate of the three models: the SQ, the PA, and the TR indicate a square, a parabolic, and a triangular force-distance profile respectively. The three force-distance relations are taken account of the Friedel relation. By annealing the quenched specimen, m* became low at a given temperature. This may have been caused by the following two phenomena. First, the concentration of weak obstacles to dislocation motion decreased after the heat treatment. Secondly, the resistance to movement of a dislocation in the quenched specimen was weakened by annealing it, e.g., F0 was reduced to about one-third and ϕ0 increased from 154 to 172 degrees. F0 and ϕ0 are the force acted on the dislocation and the bending angle of dislocation by the weak obstacle such as the impurity. Therefore, it may be deduced that the dislocation velocity in the quenched specimen is more sensitive to the effective stress due to the impurities than that in the annealed specimen at the temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The deformation of isolated linear polyethylene spherulites, to at least 7 times extension, has been observed with lamellar resolution in a dilute blend with branched polyethylene as matrix. Drawing occurs in two temperature ranges. In the low temperature range, from 25 to 100 °C, spherulites deform as a whole within a solid matrix with longitudinal dimensions increasing by the draw ratio. From 120 °C to 130 °C, when the matrix is fully molten, the principal effect is to detach lamellar fragments along the line of greatest extensional stress while leaving the majority of the spherulite little affected. In the low temperature range, deformation differs according to the inclination of lamellae to the tensile axis. Under tension or shear, lamellae rotate, disrupt and/or fragment; under compression they buckle then kink co-operatively where the stress is highest. After deformation, spherulites tend to have become cylindrical within well demarcated lateral boundaries parallel to the draw direction. It is suggested that this reflects differences in the extensibility of the molecular networks on either side of the boundary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polycarbonate samples were submitted to ageing at room temperature or at 8°C after quenching from above Tg or de-ageing by pre-yield tensile deformation. Loss curves were measured in the temperature range located between the β and the α transitions. These curves exhibit an α′ peak on the low temperature side of the α peak. The position of the α′ peak is clearly dependent on the history of the sample: the α′ peak located in the low temperature range after quenching or mechanical de-ageing is shifted to higher temperatures during further ageing. The time and temperature dependence of the α′ peak location has shown that the kinetics of the α′ relaxation near and below room temperature is controlled by a lower activation energy process than the annealing process prevailing near Tg and already identified. A classical formalism modified by taking into account two α′ relaxation processes prevailing either at low or higher temperatures yields a good description of the α′ loss curves of most samples aged for a long term at room temperature, but fails to describe the α′ peaks of specimens submitted to another ageing history. To model the loss curves of such specimens the relaxation time spectrum involved in the description of the α′ peak is assumed to be dependent on the history of the sample and on the current test temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The {332}<113> twin-twin and twin-dislocation pairs at various grain boundaries were systematically examined by using electron backscattered diffraction technique in a slightly deformed β-type Ti-15Mo-5Zr alloy. The effect of grain boundary angle on twinning transfer behavior in neighboring grain was quantitatively analyzed in terms of strain accommodation combined macroscopic Schmid law. The twinning transfer occurred readily at the low angle grain boundaries without significant local stress concentration and formed a twin-twin pair dominated by applied stress, i.e., macroscopic Schmid law. At the high angle grain boundaries, it often resulted in a twin-twin pair with non-Schmid factor twinning variant or a twin-dislocation pair with geometrically necessary dislocations at the boundary area dominated by the strain accommodation. The activation of non-Schmid factor twinning variant and slip system in neighboring grain was due to their high accommodative capacity while releasing the local internal stress concentration, which was caused by the twinning transfer at high angle grain boundaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, experimental data have been obtained which reveal taking place of complex physical processes under conditions of the structural superplasticity not only in the grain boundary, as it is commonly believed, but also in the grain body. It was established for the first time that superplastic deformation of the eutectic alloys is accompanied by significant changes in their Young’s moduli. It was demonstrated that under superplastic deformation the observed changes of the elastic properties of the eutectic Sn-38wt%Pb alloy under study are caused mainly by the decomposition of supersaturated solid solutions on the basis of the alloy components and the relaxation of internal stresses. It was also found that the viscous dislocation-diffusion non-conservative flow is actively developing in the eutectic alloys under conditions of superplasticity, in contrast to the existing ideas about grain boundary sliding as the main mechanism of the matter transport. The experimental results obtained are important for the deeper understanding of the physical nature of the structural superplasticity effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The results of experiments directed to the optimization of Equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP) die design can be affected by the material response to deformation, thus making difficult to isolate the die performance, particularly with respect to the assessment of strain homogeneity. In the present work, a completely 'inert' material was employed for the physical simulation of the ECAP deformation, thus permitting an unequivocal analysis of the die performance. Such material is the Pb-62 %Sn alloy, of which absence of strain hardening, that is, full recrystallization during or after equal-channel angular pressing, was here ascertained. As a consequence, the corner gap effect, a phenomenon known to decrease strain homogeneity, will depend only on die geometry. The study was extended to the case in which the strain distribution depends on both outer ( R) and inner ( r) curvature radii. Results show that the size of the corner gap is related to the deformation homogeneity of the billet, and the pressing forces are reduced for large outer radii. Emphasis was given to the quantitative measurement of the corner gap size, its relationship with the von Mises strain, and its distribution within the ECAP-processed billet, for different R- r combinations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identifying the parameters of a crystal plasticity model requires the use of grain scale experimental data. The objective of our work is to develop a robust procedure to identify the model using information at the scale of the crystals. In this study, an in situ experimental measurement has been developed for the parameter identification of crystal plasticity models. During the experimental stage, the total $${\left( \epsilon ^t\right) }$$ and elastic $${\left( \epsilon ^e\right) }$$ strain fields of an Al-alloy specimen with around 12 grains were measured at the same time. The total strain fields were determined by digital image correlation. For this, a speckle-painting was applied on the sample surface which was tracked to derive the total deformation of the specimen surface under loading. The elastic strains were calculated from X-ray diffraction measurements. Yet certain experimental difficulties had to be solved in order to achieve these simultaneous measurements. Besides results and analysis, the corresponding uncertainties during each measurement were quantified as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, effects of dynamically formed precipitates on the microstructure and texture evolution were investigated during the post-deformation annealing. Two ternary alloys of Mg, Al, and Sn were produced and deformed at 250 and 300 °C to form different amounts of strain-induced precipitates during deformation and different levels of dynamic recrystallization. Subsequent annealing at deformation temperatures was performed at various times for up to 4 h and recrystallization, grain coarsening, and precipitation behaviors were characterized. The deformed structures were all partially dynamically recrystallized exhibiting necklacing. Static recrystallization (SRX) progressed by the transformation of the coarse grained un-necklaced regions to fine grains. It was found that increasing levels of pre-existing precipitates on dynamic recrystallized grain boundaries inhibited SRX as well as grain coarsening, by precipitation pinning. Texture was weakened after a short time annealing compared to the as-deformed condition and high amount of precipitates at the grain boundary restricted the grain coarsening and kept the texture weaken associated with grain coarsening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internal strains that develop between grains during creep of an austenitic stainless steel were measured using in situ neutron diffraction. The secondary creep pre-strained test specimens were considered. Measurements were undertaken before, during and post creep deformation at 550 °C. There was no measurable change of internal strains between grains during in situ creep for 4 h at 550 °C. In addition, the effect of increasing/reducing temperatures in a range from 470 to 550 °C on the internal strains was measured and interpreted with respect to contributions from thermal expansion/contraction. No further internal misfit strains between grains were created when specimen crept during the dwell time at 530, 510, 490 and 470 °C. Results are discussed with respect to (i) the general structure of self-consistent models and (ii) the optimised use of neutron sources for creep studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A grade 2 commercially pure (CP) titanium was processed by high-pressure torsion (HPT) at pressures of 3.0 and 6.0 GPa in order to achieve improved strengths. The microhardness values for these Ti samples were plotted against the imposed strain, and the plots show that a higher saturation microhardness of 320 Hv is achieved for the sample processed at 6.0 GPa compared to a microhardness of 305 Hv when using a pressure of 3.0 GPa. The omega ω-phase has been reported in some earlier HPT investigations of pure titanium, but it was not detected in this investigation even after processing at 6.0 GPa. The absence of the ω-phase is attributed to the relatively high level of oxygen (0.25 wt%) in these CP titanium samples. The higher saturation hardness for the 6.0 GPa sample is consistent with the smaller average grain size of ~105 ± 12 nm compared with the measured grain size of ~130 ± 18 nm after processing with an imposed pressure of 3.0 GPa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new way of generating large plastic strain in a billet by splitting it plastically by a reciprocating punch is investigated. The concept of incremental angular splitting (I-AS) is explained by referring to the severe plastic deformation process of incremental equal channel angular pressing (I-ECAP). Results of laboratory trials of I-ECAP and I-AS, using a purposely designed AA1070 billet, are presented and both processes are compared. Further comparison is based on Vickers hardness distribution in the billet subjected to I-ECAP and I-AS. FE simulation results give an indication of strain distribution in both processes. The main advantages of I-AS appear to be more flexibility in the billet choice and more uniform strain distribution in the first pass of the process. A possibility of creating a gradient material by I-AS with a flat punch is considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiferroic magnetoelectric (ME) BaTiO-CoFeO (BTO-CFO) ceramic composites with different thicknesses were fabricated via tape casting technique. The interfacial morphology of the composite demonstrates the presence of plate-like grains with a thickness of ~400 nm. This could be associated with the residual stresses originated from lattice mismatch and different thermal expansion coefficients between BTO and CFO layers. The dielectric constant, piezoelectric constant, and ferroelectric properties of the multilayered composite are degraded in the presence of CFO layers in comparison with those of BTO bulk. Furthermore, the dielectric constant and polarization of the composite decrease with increasing frequency. The leakage current density and magnetic remanence ratio of the composite reach up to the order of 10 A/cm and 40 %, respectively. The direct and converse ME coefficients were measured to be 8.1 μV/cm Oe and 1.1 × 10 G/V, respectively. Based on the converse ME effect, an electrically controlled ME inductor was designed using the composite as its core. The inductance and tunability of the inductor increase with increase of applied dc electric field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The review focuses on the current studies of the deformation response and accompanying structural transformations of thermoplastic semicrystalline polymers subjected to uniaxial tension prior to the yield point. The mechanisms of strain-induced cavitation of amorphous layers and damages of crystalline lamellae are analyzed in line with novel results on the deformation behavior of solid polymers at temperatures exceeding the glass transition point. The coupling of viscoelastic and plastic deformation mechanisms with the small-strain structural transformations is critically discussed on the basis of the advanced theoretical modeling of mechanical properties of semicrystalline polymers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

study was carried out into the possibility of employing ECAP processing in lieu of mechanical milling for the purpose of developing powder-based hydrogen storage alloys. Mg and Mg-Ti powder compacts were encapsulated in a copper block and were subjected to ECAP deformation to an apparent strain of ε = 4. This resulted in the consolidation of the compacts as well as in the refinement of their structures. The values of coherently diffracting volume size were as small as 70-80 nm, quite comparable to those achieved with mechanical milling. It is, therefore, concluded that ECAP processing can be employed successfully for the purpose of structural refinement. As for material synthesis, however, the ECAP is less efficient in expanding the interfacial area. Therefore, it is necessary to impose relatively heavy strains to able to achieve comparable expansion in the interfacial area. It appears that an advantage of ECAP deformation is the development of structures which have improved ability for milling. It is, therefore, recommended that in the processing of hydrogen storage alloys, the powder mixtures may be first processed with ECAP in open atmosphere and then by mechanical milling of a short duration carried out under protective atmosphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigations are made on the effects of strain rates on the tensile behavior and deformation modes of Duplex Ti-46.5Al-2Nb-2Cr (DP TiAl) at temperatures ranging from room temperature to 840 °C and under strain rates of 0.001, 320, 800, and 1350 s. The dynamic strength is higher than quasi-static strength but does not change much over the high strain rate range. Yield stress anomaly is not found. Brittle-to-ductile transition temperature (BDTT) increases with the increased strain rates. A Zerilli-Armstrong constitutive model with appropriate coefficients is chosen to describe the high strain rate flowing behavior. TEM analysis indicates that both ordinary dislocations and superdislocations are found and dislocation pile-up only appears in samples deformed under quasi-static loadings at elevated temperatures. The deformation twins are common in equiaxed grains and the proportion of twinned grains increases with the increased strain rate from 46-72% under quasi-static loadings to 69-95% under high strain rate loadings. No deformation twins are found in lamellar colonies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A crystal plasticity finite element model has been developed to study the effect of friction between the die wall and the billet on texture evolution during equal channel angular pressing of an aluminum single crystal. Four cases with different coefficients of friction μ = 0, 0.05, 0.1, and 0.15 have been simulated. It has been found that the friction of μ = 0.05 and 0.1 can capture the major texture features shown in the experimental results, and μ = 0.05 predicts a slightly better texture than μ = 0.1. The frictional condition significantly affects texture evolution in the region between 1/2 and 3/4 of the billet thickness from the top surface. It can be attributed to the effect of friction on the corner gap and the distribution of stresses in the die corner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-purity aluminum was processed by high-pressure torsion (HPT) under conventional monotonic (m-HPT) and cyclic (c-HPT) conditions where strain reversals are introduced in c-HPT during processing. Measurements show higher values of the Vickers microhardness in the center regions of all disks but these values are higher when processing by c-HPT by comparison with m-HPT for the same total number of turns. Slightly smaller grain sizes are observed in the c-HPT samples. It is shown that all of the microhardness values correlate with the estimated values of the equivalent strain and the results are consistent with earlier data reported under c-HPT conditions when it is recognized that the variation of hardness with equivalent strain is dependent upon the level of recovery within the material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fracture toughness measurements on bcc iron (Armco-iron), which is subjected to severe plastic deformation (SPD), were performed. Through high pressure torsion, an ultrafine grain structure was obtained and with subsequent heat treatments the grain size varied between 300 nm and 5 μm. The combination of SPD and individual heat treatments allows for a systematic study of the ductile to brittle transition (DBT) in the fracture behaviour as a function of grain size. Additionally, the influence of different crack plane orientations was taken into account. The results show that the DBT moves for smaller grain sizes (<1 μm) to higher transition temperatures. Furthermore, large differences in the absolute toughness values for a given temperature for the different crack plane orientations and grain sizes were determined. The findings can be related to a change in the crack path from transcrystalline fracture for grain sizes larger than 1 μm to intercrystalline-dominated fracture for grain sizes smaller than 1 μm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The degradation of the mechanical properties of deformed PVDF during its mechanochemical ageing in sodium hydroxide (soda) was followed by microindentation measurements, especially the local reduction of the elastic modulus and the hardness. This allows measurements on a local scale of the mechanical properties on the surface and in-depth as a function of the strain level and the ageing time. Microindentation tests with Berkovich indenter have been performed with a Nanoindenter XP® (MTS). Measurements are made at penetration depth less than 2 μm for an applied load of 10 mN. During ageing in soda (Ph 14) at 90 °C up to 16 days, various deformations ε (0, 22 and 38%) are imposed on PVDF tensile specimen. For the first two imposed deformations (ε = 0 and ε = 22%), mechanical degradation is limited to some percent (less than 7%). For the greatest deformation (ε = 38%), mechanical degradation continues to decrease with ageing time (more than 21%). Microindentation tests show that a range of low deformations exists in which the mechanochemical degradation is limited and no limitation is observed for larger imposed deformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Commercial purity aluminum (1050) was processed via equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) to one, two, and four passes using route Bc in a 90° channel die, and subsequently compressed in plane strain in two different loading directions, and to two different strain levels. One of the plane-strain-loading directions is parallel to the ECAP forward direction, while the other is perpendicular to it. The flow response in plane-strain compression of the ECAP processed samples revealed an anisotropic behavior, one loading direction systematically gave higher flow stresses. A strain path change parameter was calculated for the two deformation schemes, to justify this anisotropic behavior. Texture evolution, of the plane-strain-compressed samples, was measured, and a transition to the rolling texture was always evidenced. The evolution of the main ideal rolling-texture components obtained from such a combination of deformation schemes, ECAP and plane-strain compression, is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Severe plastic deformation is generally achieved using novel techniques such as Equal Channel Angular Pressing (ECAP) or High Pressure Torsion (HPT), but may also be achieved by more conventional methods such as very heavy rolling. Microstructure evolution is examined in an iron aluminide intermetallic rolled to strains up to 3.3 using Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and orientation determinations by Kikuchi line analysis. After the highest strains the microstructure is still characterized as a recovered submicron-scale dislocation structure, with generally low angles across the various boundaries, and a high density of dislocations inside these boundaries. The structures observed show a dependence on orientation of the underlying parent grain, with [001] orientations showing poorer rearrangement to cellular structures than grains with [113–111] orientations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on the deformation behavior of commercially relevant lamellar and cylindrical tri-block copolymers poly (styrene- b-ethylene-co-butylene- b-styrene) (SEBS) with two different compositions. The structural changes that occur at various length scales have been studied using a simultaneous small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS/WAXS) during uni-axial tensile deformation of the polygrain samples. SAXS provides information about changes that occur upon deforming the glassy cylindrical or lamellar PS domains. WAXS, on the other hand, is sensitive to the crystallographic structure of the rubbery mid-block. Deformation calorimetry has been used to determine the energetics involved. The combined results from the various techniques indicate that the deformation takes place in three stages. First, at small strains, dilation occurs in the rubbery phase. At intermediate strains, the hard lamellar or cylindrical domains undergo micro-buckling, which is associated with a downturn in the stress–strain curve. Finally, we interpret that at higher strains, the bent lamellar/cylindrical domains rotate in the stretching direction resulting in a significant shear on the rubbery mid-block. This in turn leads to strain-induced crystallization in these materials. Although we could not prove it by WAXS, deformation calorimetry (which is more sensitive than the WAXS) was utilized to show its presence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is pointed out that proposed mechanisms of fatigue fracture should be consistent with Coffin’s Law for constant strain-amplitude cyclic deformation. Most proposed mechanisms are not. The fracture of dislocation cores along their glide planes is consistent with the fact that the law describes the behavior during the first ¼ cycle as well as that after a very large number of cycles. Experimental evidences of the relative weakness of edge dislocation cores is described. Analysis of this weakness by Bullough, and in this article, discussed. It is concluded that this effect plays an important role in fatigue fracture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A compressive split-Hopkinson pressure bar apparatus and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) are used to investigate the deformation behaviour and microstructural evolution of Ti–15Mo–5Zr–3Al alloy deformed at strain rates ranging from 8 × 102 s−1 to 8 × 103 s−1 and temperatures between 25 °C and 900 °C. In general, it is observed that the flow stress increases with increasing strain rate, but decreases with increasing temperature. The microstructural observations reveal that the strengthening effect evident in the deformed alloy is a result, primarily, of dislocations and the formation of α phase. The dislocation density increases with increasing strain rate, but decreases with increasing temperature. Additionally, the square root of the dislocation density varies linearly with the flow stress. The amount of α phase increases with increasing temperature below the β transus temperature. The maximum amount of α phase is formed at a temperature of 700 °C and results in the minimum fracture strain under the current loading conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microstructure and fracture behavior of brazed joint between commercially pure titanium and low carbon steel using silver (Ag–34Cu–2Ti) and copper (Cu–12Mn–2Ni ) based alloys have been characterized to determine the effect of brazing parameters and chemical composition on the strength of brazed joints. It is found that the shear strength of brazed joints strongly depends on the lap width. Furthermore, the fracture path and the value of shear strength significantly changed with the type of filler alloy. The two filler metals showed metallurgical interaction with steel and titanium forming different kinds of intermetallic compounds such as CuTi, Cu2Ti, and FeTi with silver based filler and Ti2Cu, FeTi and TiCuFe with copper based filler. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An accurate solution for a rotating functionally graded annular disk is presented. Material properties of the present annular disk are assumed to be graded in the radial direction according to a simple exponential-law distribution. The inner surface of the disk is pure metal whereas the outer surface of the disk is pure ceramic. The boundary condition of rigid casing is considered herein, that is the vanishing of the radial displacement at the outer surface. The boundary condition at the inner surface of the disk is taken to be vanishing either radial displacement or radial stress. Analytical solutions for the elastic deformation of the rotating functionally graded annular disks subjected to these boundary conditions are obtained. Numerical results for radial displacement, circumferential and radial stresses are presented. Comparisons between the different rotating homogeneous and functionally graded annular disks are made at the same angular velocity. The results show that distributions of stresses and displacement through the radial direction of the rotating annular disk vary with different parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of strain and temperature on the microstructure and the detailed structure of dislocation walls in compressed pure polycrystalline copper were systematically studied. The microstructure observed consisted of dislocation cells and second generation microbands (MB2) and is presented in a microtructural map. The detailed structure of the cell’s boundaries evolves with increasing strain and/or temperature from tangled dislocations into arrays of parallel dislocations. Interplay between strain and temperature controls the microstructure and the detailed structure of the dislocation boundaries. Above 0.5 Tm only MB2 are observed; a different type of MB2 is also observed, one order of magnitude wider than the one observed at the lower temperature. With increasing strain and temperature the MB2 density increases. It seems that dislocation cells and MB2 are competitive dislocation patterns and at elevated temperatures the MB2 is the preferred dislocation pattern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The shear strength of pure nickel (Ni), and its alloy, Ni–60Co (by wt%), has been determined during one-dimensional shock loading in the impact stress range 0–10 GPa. The influence of the reduced stacking fault energy (SFE) for the Ni–60Co has been investigated. The shear strength (τ) and the lateral stress (σ y ) both increase with the impact stress for each material. The shear stress has been found to be higher in the nickel than in the alloy. The progressive decrease of the lateral stress behind the shock front indicates an increase of the shear strength. A more complex mechanism of deformation has been found for the alloy since twin formation has been observed in the microstructure, while none has been seen in nickel. It is thought that mechanical twinning plays a predominant role in the deformation mechanism of the alloy resulting in the reduction of the material strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]