Modeling of material deformation behavior in micro-forming under consideration of individual grain heterogeneity

This study aims to develop a model to characterize the inhomogeneous material deformation behavior in micro-forming.First,the influence of individual grain heterogeneity on the deformation behavior of CuZn20 foils was investigated via tensile and micro-hardness tests.The results showed that different from thick sheets,the hardening behavior of grains in the deformation area of thin foils is not uniform.The flow stress of thin foils actually only reflects the average hardening behavior of several easy-deformation-grains,which is the reason that thinner foils own smaller flow stress.Then,a composite modeling method under consideration of individual grain heterogeneity was developed,where the effects of grain orientation and shape are quantitatively represented by the method of flow stress classification and Voronoi tessellation,respectively.This model provides an accurate and effective method to analyze the influence of individual grain heterogeneity on the deformation behavior of the micro-sized material.

Effects of pin geometry on the material flow behavior of friction stir spot welded 2A12 aluminum alloy

A three-dimensional finite volume model was established by the ANSYS FLUENT software to simulate the material flow behavior during the friction stir spot welding （FSSW） process. Effects of the full-threaded pin and the reverse-threaded pin on the material flow behavior were mainly discussed. Results showed that the biggest material flow velocity appeared at the outer edge of the tool shoulder. The velocity value became smaller with the increase of the distance away from the tool surface. In general, material flows downwards along the pin thread when the full-threaded pin is used. Meanwhile, both the materials of the upper and the lower plates flow towards the lap interface along the pin thread when the reverse-threaded pin is used. The numerical simulation results were investigated by experiment, in which 2A12 aluminum alloy was used as the research object. The effective sheet thickness （EST） and stir zone （SZ） width of the joint by the reverse-threaded pin were much bigger than those by the full-threaded pin. Accordingly, cross tension failure load of the joint by the reverse-threaded pin is 23% bigger than the joint by the full-threaded pin.

Editorial: Special subject on the mechanical behavior of thermal protection materials and structures

The thermal protection materials and structures are widely used in hypersonic vehicles for the purpose of thermal insulation, and their mechanical behavior is one of the key issues in design and manufacture of hypersonic vehicles. It is our great pleasure to present the seven papers in this special subject of Theoretical ＆ Applied Mechanics Letters （TAML） and introduce the recent progresses on the mechanical behavior of thermal protection materials and structures by the authors.

Material flow behavior and microstructural evolution during refill friction stir spot welding of alclad 2A12-T4 aluminum alloy

In this study, we used the stop-action technique to experimentally investigate the material flow and microstructural evolution of alclad 2A12-T4 aluminum alloy during refill friction stir spot welding.There are two material flow components, i.e., the inward-or outward-directed spiral flow on the horizontal plane and the upward-or downward-directed flow on the vertical plane.In the plunge stage, the flow of plasticized metal into the cavity is similar to that of a stack, whereby the upper layer is pushed upward by the lower layer.In the refill stage, this is process reversed.As such, there is no obvious vertical plasticized metal flow between adjacent layers.Welding leads to the coarsening of S(Al2CuMg) in the thermo-mechanically affected zone and the diminishing of S in the stir zone.Continuous dynamic recrystallization results in the formation of fine equiaxed grains in the stir zone, but this process becomes difficult in the thermo-mechanically affected zone due to the lower deformation rate and the pinning action of S precipitates on the dislocations and sub-grain boundaries, which leads to a high fraction of low-angle grain boundaries in this zone.

OPTIMAL DESIGN PROCEDURE BASED ON VISCOPLASTIC MATERIAL BEHAVIOUR

The optimization problems belong to the family of the most important engineering problems. The objective of this paper is to proposed a very efficient numerical algo- rithm which is involved in an optimal design procedure in the field of viscoplasticity phenomena. Because of the complexity of design procedure, particularly in the field of viscoplas- ticity, the finite element method is used. This method provides a good structural discretization and very efficient mathematical describing of time-rate effects. Accord- ing to the design specifications, which will dictate a limiting design strain, using the proposed algorithm, the design life of the considered structure will be covered. For the justification of the proposed method an example is presented. On the basis of specifications data and environment conditions, an operating pressure of a pressure vessel is obtained.

Experimental Study on Tensile Behavior of Cement Paste, Mortar and Concrete under High Strain Rates

Effects of the strain rate on cement paste, mortar and concrete were studied. A modified SHPB testing technique with fl attened Brazilian disc（FBD） specimen was developed to measure the dynamic tensile stress-strain curve of materials. A pulse-shaped split Hopkinson pressure bar（SHPB） was employed to determine the dynamic tensile mechanical responses and failure behavior of materials under valid dynamic testing conditions. Quasi-static experiments were conducted to study material strain rate sensitivity. Strain rate sensitivity of the materials was measured in terms of the stress-strain curve, elastic modulus, tensile strength and critical strain at peak stress. Empirical relations between dynamic increase factor（DIF） and the material properties were derived and presented.

Influence of Specimen Size on Compression Behavior of Cement Paste and Mortar under High Strain Rates

Static and dynamic compression tests were carried out on mortar and paste specimens of three sizes（Ф68 mm×32 mm,Ф59 mm×29.5 mm and Ф32 mm×16 mm）to study the influence of specimen size on the compression behavior of cement-based materials under high strain rates.The static tests were applied using a universalservo-hydraulic system,and the dynamic tests were applied by a spilt Hopkinson pressure bar（SHPB）system.The experimentalresults show that for mortar and paste specimens,the dynamic compressive strength is greater than the quasi-static one,and the dynamic compressive strength for specimens of large size is lower than those of smallsize.However,the dynamic increase factors（DIF）has an opposite trend.Obviously,both strain rate and size effect exist in mortar and paste.The test results were then analyzed using Weibull,Carpinteriand Ba？ant＇s size effect laws.A good agreement between these three laws and the test results was reached on the compressive strength.However,for the experimentalresults of paste and cement mortar,the size effect is not evident for the peak strain and elastic modulus of paste and cement mortar.

Progress of Materials Science in Space Technology in China(2020-2022)

In this paper,the main research work and related reports of materials science research in China’s space technology field during 2020-2022 are summarized.This paper covers Materials Sciences in Space Environment,Materials Sciences for Space Environment,Materials Behavior in Space Environment and Space experimental hardware for material investigation.With the rapid development of China’s space industry,more scientists will be involved in materials science,space technology and earth science researches.In the future,a series of disciplines such as space science,machinery,artificial intelligence,digital twin and big data will be further integrated with materials science,and space materials will also usher in new development opportunities.

Study on the Dynamic Behavior of Tungsten Alloy at Strain Rates up to 5 000 s^(-1)

The dynamic stress-strain curves of 93% tungsten (W) alloy in the forged state at strain rates up to (5 000 s^(-1)) and in the temperature range from 223 K to 473 K were measured with the split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) technique. Based on the above experimental data a dynamic constitutive equation considering the effects of strain rate, temperature and the special microstructure of such a kind of W-alloy was proposed. The numerical simulation for the experimental process with this constitutive equation was also carried out, the results show that the constitutive relationship constructed in this paper is very satisfactory for representing the dynamic responsive behavior of material..

Extension of Flow Behaviour and Damage Models for Cast Iron Alloys with Strain Rate Effect

Cast iron alloys with low production cost and quite good mechanical properties are widely used in the automotive industry.To study the mechanical behavior of a typical ductile cast iron(GJS-450)with nodular graphite,uni-axial quasi-static and dynamic tensile tests at strain rates of 10^(-4),1,10,100,and 250 s^(-1)were carried out.In order to investigate the influence of stress state on the deformation and fracture parameters,specimens with various geometries were used in the experiments.Stress strain curves and fracture strains of the GJS-450 alloy in the strain rate range of 10^(-4)to 250 s^(-1)were obtained.A strain rate-dependent plastic flow model was proposed to describe the mechanical behavior in the corresponding strain-rate range.The available damage model was extended to take the strain rate into account and calibrated based on the analysis of local fracture strains.Simulations with the proposed plastic flow model and the damage model were conducted to observe the deformation and fracture process.The results show that the strain rate has obviously nonlinear effects on the yield stress and fracture strain of GJS-450 alloys.The predictions with the proposed plastic flow and damage models at various strain rates agree well with the experimental results,which illustrates that the rate-dependent plastic flow and damage models can be used to describe the mechanical behavior of cast iron alloys at elevated strain rates.The proposed plastic flow and damage models can be used to describe the deformation and fracture analysis of materials with similar properties.

Material flow behavior modeling with consideration of size effects

Size effects make traditional forming theories infeasible in analyzing the micro-forming process, so it is necessary to develop an accurate material model to describe the material flow behavior with consideration of size effects. By studying the size effects of the flow behavior of H80 foils experimentally, it is found that the foil flow stress and strain hardening ability reduce significantly with the decrease of foil thickness. The reduction of the proportion of internal grains which own complete grain boundaries is the main cause of size effects of foil flow behavior. Moreover, grain refinement can reduce the size effects on material flow behavior. On these bases, a phenomenological material model has been developed to mathematically describe the material flow behavior with consideration of the effects of geometry size, grain size and strain hardening behavior. The reasonability and accuracy of this new model are verified by comparing the calculation values with experimental results in metal foil tensile and micro-bulk upsetting experiments. These experimental results and the proposed model lay a solid foundation for understanding and further exploring the material flow behavior in the micro-forming process.

Optimization of process parameters to maximize ultimate tensile strength of friction stir welded dissimilar aluminum alloys using response surface methodology

Aluminium alloys generally present low weldability by traditional fusion welding process. Development of the friction stir welding （FSW） has provided an alternative improved way of producing aluminium joints in a faster and reliable manner. The quality of a weld joint is stalwartly influenced by process parameter used during welding. An approach to develop a mathematical model was studied for predicting and optimizing the process parameters of dissimilar aluminum alloy （AA6351 T6-AA5083 Hlll）joints by incorporating the FSW process parameters such as tool pin profile, tool rotational speed welding speed and axial force. The effects of the FSW process parameters on the ultimate tensile strength （UTS） of friction welded dissimilar joints were discussed. Optimization was carried out to maximize the UTS using response surface methodology （RSM） and the identified optimum FSW welding parameters were reported.

Effects of ultrasonic assisted friction stir welding on flow behavior,microstructure and mechanical properties of 7N01-T4 aluminum alloy joints

Conventional friction stir welding(FSW)and ultrasonic assisted friction stir welding(UAFSW)were employed to weld 6-mm thick 7 N01-T4 aluminum alloy plates.Weld forming characteristics and material flow behavior in these two different welding processes were studied and compared.Ultrasonic vibration was applied directly on the weld in axial direction through the welding tool.Metal flow behavior,microstructure characteristics in the nugget zone(NZ)and evolution of the mechanical properties of naturally aged joints were studied.Results show that the ultrasonic vibration can significantly increase the welding speed of defect-free welded joint.At the rotation speed of 1200 rpm,the UAFSW can produce defect-free welded joints at a welding speed that is 50%higher than that of the conventional FSW.Ultrasonic vibrations can also improve surface quality of the joints and reduce axial force by 9%.Moreover,ultrasonic vibrations significantly increase the volume of the pin-driven zone(PDZ)and decrease the thickness of the transition zone(TZ).The number of subgrains and deformed grains resulting from the UAFSW is higher than that from the FSW.By increase the strain level and strain gradient in the NZ,the ultrasonic vibrations can refine the grains.Ultrasonic energy is the most at the top of the NZ,and gradually reduces along the thickness of the plate.The difference in strengths between the FSW and the UAFSW joints after post-weld natural aging(PWNA)is small.However,the elongation of the UAFSW is8.8%higher than that of the FSW(PWNA for 4320 h).Fracture surface observation demonstrates that all the specimens fail by ductile fracture,and the fracture position of the UAFSW joint changes from HAZ(PWNA for 120 h)to NZ(PWNA for 720 and 4320 h).

CBN grain wear and its effects on material removal during grinding of FGH96 powder metallurgy superalloy

Grinding with cubic boron nitride(CBN)superabrasive is a widely used method of machining superalloy in aerospace industries.However,there are some issues,such as poor grinding quality and severe tool wear,in grinding of powder metallurgy superalloy FGH96.In addition,abrasive wheel wear is the significant factor that hinders the further application of CBN abrasive wheels.In this case,the experiment of grinding FGH96 with single CBN abrasive grain using different parameters was carried out.The wear characteristics of CBN abrasive grain were analyzed by experiment and simulation.The material removal behavior affected by CBN abrasive wear was also studied by discussing the pile-up ratio during grinding process.It shows that morphological characteristics of CBN abrasive grain and grinding infeed direction affect the CBN abrasive wear seriously by simulation analysis.Attrition wear,micro break,and macro fracture had an important impact on material removal characteristics.Besides,compared with the single cutting edge,higher pile-up ratio was obtained by multiple cutting edges,which reduced the removal efficiency of the material.Therefore,weakening multiple cutting edge grinding on abrasive grains in the industrial production,such as applying suitable dressing strategy,is an available method to improve the grinding quality and efficiency.

Simulation and calibration of granules using the discrete element method

The discrete element method （DEM）, developed by Cundall and 5track to solve geomecnamcai problems, is used to simulate the mechanical behavior of granules. According to the DEM, an individ ual granule can be modeled as a realistic mechanical system consisting of primary particles bonded by interaction forces. Cranulometric properties of the model material, zeolite 4A, have been measured to determine their macro properties. To investigate the compression behavior, a compression test was performed using a strength tester on single granules between two pistons. A modeled granule consisting of more than 22,000 primary particles was generated. The micro properties of the modeled granule have been precisely set to allow its macro properties to be equivalent to the macro properties of zeolite 4A granules. To calibrate the mechanical properties, diametrical compression was simulated using two rigid walls stressed at a constant stressing velocity, The force-displacement curve of the modeled granule at compression has been calibrated by the experimental curve of zeolite 4A.