Deformation kinking and highly localized nanocrystallization in metastableβ-Ti alloys using cold forging

Deformation kinking as an uncommon plastic deformation mechanism has been reported in several materials while the relevant microstructure evolution and grain refinement behavior at a large strain remain unclear so far.In this study,the issue was systematically investigated by utilizing cold forging to impose severe plastic deformation(SPD)on Ti-11 V metastableβ-Ti alloys.It is found that the formation of kink bands experiences dislocation gliding,pre-kinking and the ripening of pre-kinks in sequences.The kink bands are subsequently thickened through the coalescence of multiple kink bands in a manner of high accommodation.Ordinary dislocation slip is developed as a dominant deformation mechanism when deformation kinking is exhausted.The resulting grain refinement involves transverse breakdown and longitudinal splitting of dislocation walls and cells,which fragment kink bands into smallβ-blocks.Further refinement of theβ-blocks is still governed by dislocation activities,and finally nanograins with a diameter of~15 nm are produced at a large strain of 1.2.Alternatively,it is revealed that nanocrystallization is highly localized inside kink bands while the outer microstructure maintains original coarse structures.Such localized refinement characterization is ascribed to the intrinsic soft nature of kink bands,shown as low hardness in nanoindentation testing.The intrinsic softening of kink bands is uncovered to originate from the inner degraded dislocation density evidenced by both experimental measurement and theoretical calculation.These findings enrich fundamental understanding of deformation kinking,and shed some light on exploring the deformation accommodation mechanisms for metal materials at large strains.

Bulk nanocrystalline W-Ti alloys with exceptional mechanical properties and thermal stability

Nanocrystalline(NC)W metals and alloys often exhibit higher radiation tolerance and strength than their coarse-grained counterparts.However,their thermal stability is low,making it difficult to achieve bulk NC W metals and alloys by consolidation using conventional techniques such as pressure-less sintering,hot-explosive-compaction sintering,and spark plasma sintering.Here we report the synthesis and mechanical properties of bulk NC W_(100-x)Ti_(x)(x=10 at.%-30 at.%)alloys prepared by consolidating mechanically alloyed NC powders under a high-temperature/high-pressure condition.Adding 20 at.%-30 at.%Ti largely improves the sinterability of NC W-Ti alloy powders.The room-temperature microhardness and compressive yield strength of consolidated bulk NC W_(80)Ti_(20) alloy are∼16.9 and 6.0 GPa,respectively,which are mainly caused by grain boundary strengthening and significantly higher than those of previously reported W and W alloys.The ultimate compressive strength of bulk NC W_(80)Ti_(20) measured between 900 and 1100°C deceases with increasing temperature.This behavior can be explained by the activation of Rachinger grain boundary sliding.No grain growth is observed in bulk NC W_(80)Ti_(20) after compression at 1000°C.Theoretical calculation suggests that it is the segregation of Ti at grain boundaries that decreases the specific grain boundary free energy and makes the NC W_(80)Ti_(20) alloy thermodynamically stable.