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Dynamic recrystallization mechanism and microstructure evolution of a novel quasi-continuous network reinforced TiAl matrix composites, TiAl/B4C composites were studied in this paper. The isothermal compression experiments, the scanning electron microscopy, and the electron back-scattered diffraction were carried out. Besides the discontinuous dynamic recrystallization (DDRX), the continuous dynamic recrystallization occurred in γ-phase grains during the loading, characterized by crystal orientation accumulation. Additionally, a large number of 89 ± 3° grain boundaries associated with DDRX also appeared during the loading. With the temperature increasing or/and the strain rate decreasing, the volume fraction of recrystallized grains increased significantly, the < 010 > crystal direction of γ-phase grains within the matrix unit of present composites was gradually parallel to compression direction, and the texture changed from scatter to concentration. The variety of texture was mainly related to different dynamic recrystallization mechanisms in various conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study of microstructure evolution in the form of grain growth in polycrystalline materials has been an important goal for material scientists as it drastically affects physical and mechanical properties. Specifically, nanocrystalline materials, which are known for their superior mechanical properties, are highly susceptible to grain growth even at low temperatures and stresses. Various experiments and simulations carried out on nanocrystalline materials indicate that the microstructure evolution in these materials takes place due to grain boundary migration and grain rotation. Therefore, migration of grain boundaries and grain rotation-induced grain coalescence contribute in increasing the average grain size in the microstructure. In order to simulate microstructure evolution in polycrystalline materials, the multi-order parameter phase-field model is a popular approach and is widely used for studying evolution purely due to the grain boundary migration. In this work, we present a multi-order parameter phase-field model capable of capturing microstructure evolution due to grain boundary migration and grain rotation-induced grain coalescence. The model couples constitutive equation of viscous sliding-induced grain rotation and the classical phase-field model for curvature-driven grain boundary migration. This paper covers various topological and statistical aspects of the microstructure evolved in the presence of both these growth mechanisms in great detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxide Dispersed Strengthened (ODS) ferritic stainless steels present well-known fine grains microstructures where dislocation movement is hindered by a dense precipitation of nano-oxides particles. Previous research, on the thermomechanical behavior at high temperature and strain rates, was focused on torsion tests (Karch in J Nucl Mater 459:53-61, 2014). Considering texture evolution and grain shape as indicators of the intragranular dislocation glide activity, it was shown that, for high temperature and strain rate, intragranular deformation was in competition with intergranular accommodation. The latter phenomenon was related to early damaging at grain boundaries. The occurrence of a transition phenomenon from an intragranular to an intergranular deformation mechanism, with increasing temperature, was recently confirmed by neutron diffraction spectroscopy (Stoica in Nature Commun 5:5178, 2014). In the present paper, hot extrusion (HE) tests are performed, avoiding damage due to the high stress triaxiality, and allowing further investigation of intragranular and intergranular plasticity at large strains. Three ferritic steels exhibiting various precipitation size and density were hot extruded. Microstructure evolution at different stages of deformation is investigated using the Electron Back-Scattered Diffraction (EBSD) technique. After extrusion at 1373 K (1100 °C), the microstructure of ODS steels consists of a mixture of small round shape grains and larger elongated grains containing low-angle grain boundaries. Texture measurements show the appearance of the α-fiber (<110>//extrusion direction) and an increase in its intensity during the extrusion process in the larger grains. The fragmentation of the large elongated grains by Continuous Dynamic Recrystallization (CDRX) partially occurs in ODS materials depending on precipitation reinforcement. For smaller grains, plastic deformation has no effect on crystallographic orientation and grain shape, indicating a grain boundary accommodation phenomenon as the major deformation mechanism. Precipitation density not only impacts the intragranular dislocation glide activity, but also reduces CDRX kinetics in coarse grains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, rapid solidified MgZnY (at.%) alloy powders produced by an inert gas atomizer were consolidated using a severe plastic deformation technique of high pressure torsion (HPT) at room temperature and 373 K. The behavior of powder consolidation, matrix microstructural evolution, and mechanical properties of the powders and compacts were investigated using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, microhardness, and tensile testing. As the HPT processing temperature increases, the powders are more plastically deformed due to decreased deformation resistance, grain boundaries are more in equilibrium, powder bonding is enhanced due to increased interparticle diffusion, hence, tensile ductility and strength increases. On the other hand, hardness decreases with the increased processing temperature, due to less dislocation density. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a brief overview of the field of structural nanocrystalline materials. These are materials in either bulk, coating, or thin film form whose function is for structural applications. The major processing methods for production of bulk nanocrystalline materials are reviewed. These methods include inert gas condensation, chemical reaction methods, electrodeposition, mechanical attrition, and severe plastic deformation. The stability of the nanocrystalline microstructure is discussed in terms of strategies for retardation of grain growth. Selected mechanical properties of nanocrystalline materials are described; specifically strength and ductility. Corrosion resistance is briefly addressed. Examples of present or potential applications for structural nanocrystalline materials are given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces an analyse of the fractal dimension by Richardson’s method. Two different ways to calculate the fractal dimension are presented with their related calculation errors and applied the Von Koch curves. A Monte-Carlo simulation of the evolution of the grains’ boundaries when heating shows that the interfaces lose their fractal characteristics as reported in experimental work. This result is interpreted by dissipation of the energy during the evolution of the grain boundary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper is dedicated to a major topic of Grain Boundary Engineering: evolution and stability of granular microstructures. The various mechanisms of grain microstructure stabilisation are considered. The role of grain boundaries, vacancies and especially triple junctions as dragging factors in grain growth of polycrystals is comprehensively discussed. A hierarchy of efficiency of different mechanisms for grain growth inhibitionis presented. It can be utilized as a basis for an assessment of the stability of fine grained and nanocrystalline materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, recent progress in magnesium matrix composite technologies is reviewed. The conventional and new processes for the fabrication of magnesium matrix composites are summarized. The composite microstructure is subsequently discussed with respect to grain refinement, reinforcement distribution, and interfacial characteristics. The mechanical properties of the magnesium matrix composites are also reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]