Superplasticity of fine-grained Mg-10Li alloy prepared by severe plastic deformation and understanding its deformation mechanisms

The superplastic behavior and associated deformation mechanisms of a fine-grained Mg-10.1 Li-0.8Al-0.6Zn alloy(LAZ1011)with a grain size of 3.2μm,primarily composed of the BCCβphase and a small amount of the HCPαphase,were examined in a temperature range of 473 K to 623 K.The microstructural refinement of this alloy was achieved by employing high-ratio differential speed rolling.The best superplasticity was achieved at 523 K and at strain rates of 10^(-4)-5×10^(-4)s^(-1),where tensile elongations of 550±600%were obtained.During the heating and holding stage of the tensile samples prior to tensile loading,a significant increase in grain size was observed at temperatures above 573 K.Therefore,it was important to consider this effect when analyzing and understanding the superplastic deformation behavior and mechanisms.In the investigated strain rate range,the superplastic flow at low strain rates was governed by lattice diffusion-controlled grain boundary sliding,while at high strain rates,lattice diffusion-controlled dislocation climb creep was the rate-controlling deformation mechanism.It was concluded that solute drag creep is unlikely to occur.During the late stages of deformation at 523 K,it was observed that grain boundary sliding led to the agglomeration of theαphase,resulting in significant strain hardening.Deformation mechanism maps were constructed forβ-Mg-Li alloys in the form of 2D and 3D formats as a function of strain rate,stress,temperature,and grain size,using the constitutive equations for various deformation mechanisms derived based on the data of the current tests.

Plastic deformation behavior of a Cu-10Ta alloy under strong impact loading

In this work,a Cu-10Ta alloy with a copper to tantalum mass ratio of 9:1 is prepared using powder metallurgy technology.Physical properties of the alloy,including density,microstructure,melting point,and constant-volume specific heat,are tested.Via the split Hopkinson pressure bar(SHPB)and flyerplate impact experiments,the relationship between equivalent stress and equivalent plastic strain of the material is studied at temperatures of 298-823 K and under strain rates of 1×10^(-3)-5.2×10^(3)s^(-1),and the Hugoniot relationship at impact pressures of 1.46-17.25 GPa and impact velocities of 108-942 m/s is obtained.Evolution of the Cu-10Ta microstructure that occurs during high-strain-rate impact is analyzed.Results indicate that the Cu-10Ta alloy possesses good thermal stability,and at ambient temperatures of up to 50%its melting point,stress softening of less than 15%of the initial strength is observed.A modified J-C constitutive model is employed to accurately predict the variation of yield strength with strain rate.Under strong impact,the copper phase is identified as the primary source of plastic deformation in the Cu-10Ta alloy,while significant deformation of the high-strength tantalum particles is less pronounced.Furthermore,the longitudinal wave speed D is found to correlate linearly with the particle velocity u upon strong impact.Analysis reveals that the sound speed and spallation strength of the alloy increase with increasing impact pressure.

An Elastoplastic Fracture Model Based on Bond-Based Peridynamics

Fracture in ductile materials often occurs in conjunction with plastic deformation.However,in the bond-based peridynamic(BB-PD)theory,the classic mechanical stress is not defined inherently.This makes it difficult to describe plasticity directly using the classical plastic theory.To address the above issue,a unified bond-based peridynamics model was proposed as an effective tool to solve elastoplastic fracture problems.Compared to the existing models,the proposed model directly describes the elastoplastic theory at the bond level without the need for additional calculation means.The results obtained in the context of this model are shown to be consistent with FEM results in regard to force-displacement curves,displacement fields,stress fields,and plastic deformation regions.The model exhibits good capability of capturing crack propagation in ductile material failure problems.

Inhibiting effect of I-phase formation on the plastic instability of the duplex structured Mg-8Li-6Zn-1.2Y(in wt.%)alloy

In this work,the tensile behaviors of Mg-8%Li and Mg-8%Li-6%Zn-1.2%Y alloys at ambient temperature were investigated and compared.It revealed that the plastic instability of Mg-8%Li alloy was quite remarkable and the variation range of serrated flowing stress can reach5 MPa.For the Mg-8%Li-6%Zn-1.2%Y alloy,the formation of I-phase(Mg_(3)Zn_(6)Y)can simultaneously enhance the tensile strength and eliminate the plastic instability phenomenon,whilst its ductility was degraded.The in-situ tensile tests revealed that for the Mg-8%Li alloy,the severity and number of slip traces present in bothα-Mg andβ-Li matrix phases increased remarkably with the applied tensile strain.However,slip traces were quite fine inβ-Li matrix phase and could be clearly observed when the applied tensile strain exceeded 18%.Due to the incompatibility of plastic deformation occurred in two matrix phases,the induced strain concentration atα-Mg/β-Li interfaces caused their subsequent cracking.For the Mg-8%-6%Zn-1.2%Y alloy,the I-phase distributed atα-Mg/β-Li interfaces suppressed the plastic deformation ofα-Mg matrix phase and the tensile strain was dominated by theβ-Li matrix phase,resulting in the disappearance of plastic instability.Moreover,the plastic strain would preferentially concentrate at I-phase/β-Li interfaces and subsequently induced the cracking of I-phase.

Aging behavior and mechanical properties of 6013 aluminum alloy processed by severe plastic deformation

Structural features, aging behavior, precipitation kinetics and mechanical properties of a 6013 Al–Mg–Si aluminum alloy subjected to equal channel angular pressing （ECAP） at different temperatures were comparatively investigated with that in conventional static aging by quantitative X-ray diffraction （XRD） measurements, differential scanning calorimetry （DSC） and tensile tests. Average grain sizes measured by XRD are in the range of 66-112 nm while the average dislocation density is in the range of 1.20×10^14-1.70×10^14 m^-2 in the deformed alloy. The DSC analysis reveals that the precipitation kinetics in the deformed alloy is much faster as compared with the peak-aged sample due to the smaller grains and higher dislocation density developed after ECAP. Both the yield strength （YS） and ultimate tensile strength （UTS） are dramatically increased in all the ECAP samples as compared with the undeformed counterparts. The maximum strength appears in the samples ECAP treated at room temperature and the maximum YS is about 1.6 times that of the statically peak-aged sample. The very high strength in the ECAP alloy is suggested to be related to the grain size strengthening and dislocation strengthening, as well as the precipitation strengthening contributing from the dynamic precipitation during ECAP.

Crystallization of amorphous NiTi shape memory alloy fabricated by severe plastic deformation

Based on the local canning compression,severe plastic deformation（SPD） is able to lead to the almost complete amorphous nickel-titanium shape memory alloy（NiTi SMA）,in which a small amount of retained nanocrystalline phase is embedded in the amorphous matrix.Crystallization of amorphous NiTi alloy annealed at 573,723 and 873 K was investigated,respectively.The crystallization kinetics of the amorphous NiTi alloy can be mathematically described by the Johnson-MehlAvrami-Kolmogorov（JMAK） equation.NiTi SMA with a complete nanocrystalline phase is obtained in the case of annealing at 573 K and 723 K,where martensite phase transformation is suppressed due to the constraint of the grain boundaries.Crystallization of amorphous NiTi alloy at 873 K leads to the coarse-grained NiTi sample,where（001） martensite compound twin is observed at room temperature.It can be found that the martensitic twins preferentially nucleate at the grain boundary and they grow up towards the two different grains.SPD based on the local canning compression and subsequent annealing provides a new approach to obtain the nanocrystalline NiTi SMA.

Effects of plastic deformation on precipitation behavior and tensile fracture behavior of Mg-Gd-Y-Zr alloy

The effects of plastic deformation on precipitation behavior and tensile fracture behavior of Mg-10Gd-3Y-0.6Zr alloy were investigated.The results indicate that more precipitation cores can be provided by the crystal defects caused by the plastic deformation,as well as increasing the amount of β＇ phases,and the formation of precipitations at grain boundaries and interfaces between the twins and matrix.Because of an increase in precipitations,the dislocation slipping during deformation process is effectively hindered and the matrix is strengthened,especially for the 2% deformed alloy which can achieve a good combination of strength and ductility.With increasing the plastic deformation,the microcracks occur at the interface between grain boundary precipitations and matrix,and then propagate intergranularly.When intergranular fracture combines with the formation of smoothing facets on the fracture surface,the tensile properties decrease.

Plastic yielding of NiTi shape memory alloy under local canning compression

As a new attempt, local canning compression was applied in order to implement large plastic deformation of nickel-titanium shape memory alloy （NiTi SMA） at room temperature. The plastic mechanics of local canning compression of NiTi SMA was analyzed according to the slab method as the well as plastic yield criterion. Transmission electron microscopy （TEM）, high resolution transmission electron microscopy （HRTEM） and scanning electron microscopy （SEM） were used to study the microstructural evolution as well as deformation behavior of NiTi samples under local canning compression. Increasing the hydrostatic pressure with the increase in the outer diameters of the steel cans is responsible for suppressing the initiation and growth of the micro-cracks, which contributes to enhancing the plasticity ofNiTi SMA and avoiding the occurrence of brittle fracture. Plastic deformation of NiTi SMA under a three-dimensional compressive stress state meets von-Mises yield criterion at the true strains ranging from about 0.15 to 0.50, while in the case of larger plastic strain, von-Mises yield criterion is unable to be met since the amorphous phase arises in the deformed NiTi sample.

Numerical simulation of ductile fracture behavior for aluminum alloy sheet under cyclic plastic deformation

A numerical analysis of mechanical behavior of aluminum alloy sheet under cyclic plastic deformation was investigated.Forming limit at fracture was derived from Cockcroft-Latham ductile damage criterion.The strain path of bending center of incremental roller hemming could be accepted as a kind of plane strain bending deformation process.Incremental rope roller hemming could be used to alleviate ductile fracture behavior by changing the stress state of the hemming-effected area.SEM observation on the fracture surface indicates that cyclic plastic deformation affects ductile fracture mechanism.

Viscoplastic friction and microstructural evolution behavior of laser-clad Co-Cr-Ni-Mo coating

The viscoplastic friction and nanostructure formation mechanism of laser-clad Co-based coating were studied by rotary friction between laser-clad Co-Cr-Ni-Mo coating and WC-Co rod.The friction coefficient,friction interface temperature and axial displacement—time curves during rotary friction process were measured.The results showed that all the curves firstly experienced rising stage and then steady stage.The rising stage corresponded to sliding friction while the steady stage corresponded to viscoplastic friction.After viscoplastic friction processing,three typical zones of viscoplastic deformation zone,thermo-mechanically affected zone,and original laser-clad zone can be observed successively from the friction surface to the interior.The viscoplastic deformation significantly crushed the network M23C7 phase in original laser-clad zone and made it dispersively distributed with equiaxial shape and in nano-scale.The viscoplastic zone,in width of 37-131 μm,is mainly characterized by refined M23C7 and α-Co phase with grain size bellow 50 nm,and even a small quantity of amorphous.Thus,the hardness of viscoplastic zone about HV997 was improved compared with the hardness of original laser-clad zone about HV600.

Deformation defects and electron irradiation effect in nanostructured Al-Mg alloy processed by severe plastic deformation

In order to explore the exact nature of deformation defects previously observed in nanostructured Al-Mg alloys subjected to severe plastic deformation, a more thorough examination of the radiation effect on the formation of the planar defects in the high pressure torsion （HPT） alloys was conducted using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy （HRTEM）. The results show that high density defects in the HRTEM images disappear completely when these images are exposed under the electron beam for some duration of time. At the same time, lattice defects are never observed within no-defect areas even when the beam-exposure increases to the degree that holes appear in the areas. Therefore, it is confirmed that the planar defects observed in the HPT alloys mainly result from the significant plastic deformation and are not due to the radiation effect during HRTEM observation.

Application of crystal plasticity modeling in equal channel angular extrusion

Some applications of crystal plasticity modeling in equal channel angular extrusion（ECAE） of face-centered cubic metals were highlighted.The results show that such simulations can elucidate the dependency of grain refinement efficiency on processing route and the directionality of substructure development,which cannot be explained by theories that consider only the macroscopic deformation behavior.They can also capture satisfactorily the orientation stability and texture evolution under various processing conditions.It is demonstrated that crystal plasticity models are useful tools in exploring the crystallographic nature of grain deformation and associated behavior that are overlooked or sometimes erroneously interpreted by existing phenomenological theories.

Application of EBSD technique to ultrafine grained and nanostructured materials processed by severe plastic deformation:Sample preparation, parameters optimization and analysis

With the help of FESEM, high resolution electron backscatter diffraction can investigate the grains/subgrains as small as a few tens of nanometers with a good angular resolution （~0.5°）. Fast development of EBSD speed （up to 1100 patterns per second） contributes that the number of published articles related to EBSD has been increasing sharply year by year. This paper reviews the sample preparation, parameters optimization and analysis of EBSD technique, emphasizing on the investigation of ultrafine grained and nanostructured materials processed by severe plastic deformation （SPD）. Detailed and practical parameters of the electropolishing, silica polishing and ion milling have been summarized. It is shown that ion milling is a real universal and promising polishing method for EBSD preparation of almost all materials. There exists a maximum value of indexed points as a function of step size. The optimum step size depends on the magnification and the board resolution/electronic step size. Grains/subgrains and texture, and grain boundary structure are readily obtained by EBSD. Strain and stored energy may be analyzed by EBSD.

Application of novel constrained friction processing method to produce fine grained biomedical Mg-Zn-Ca alloy

In order to obtain Mg alloys with fine microstructures and high mechanical performances,a novel friction-based processing method,name as“constrained friction processing(CFP)”,was investigated.Via CFP,defect-free Mg-Zn-Ca rods with greatly refined grains and high mechanical properties were produced.Compared to the previous as-cast microstructure,the grain size was reduced from more than 1 mm to around 4μm within 3 s by a single process cycle.The compressive yield strength was increased by 350%while the ultimate compressive strength by 53%.According to the established material flow behaviors by“tracer material”,the plastic material was transported by shear deformation.From the base material to the rod,the material experienced three stages,i.e.deformation by the tool,upward flow with additional tilt,followed by upward transportation.The microstructural evolution was revealed by“stop-action”technique.The microstructural development at regions adjacent to the rod is mainly controlled by twinning,dynamic recrystallization(DRX)as well as particle stimulated nucleation,while that within the rod is related to DRX combined with grain growth.

Temperature effect on nanotwinned Ni under nanoindentation using molecular dynamic simulation

Temperature effect on atomic deformation of nanotwinned Ni (nt-Ni) under localized nanoindentation is investigated in comparison with nanocrystalline Ni (nc-Ni) through molecular simulation.The nt-Ni exhibits enhanced critical load and hardness compared to nc-Ni,where perfect,stair-rod and Shockley dislocations are activated at (111),(111) and (111) slip planes in nt-Ni compared to only SSockley dislocation nucleation at (111) and (111) slip planes of nc-Ni.The nt-Ni exhibits a less significant indentation size effect in comparison with nc-Ni due to the dislocation slips hindrance of the twin boundary.The atomic deformation associated with the indentation size effect is investigated during dislocation transmission.Different from the decreasing partial slips parallel to the indenter surface in nc-Ni with increasing temperature,the temperaturedependent atomic deformation of nt-Ni is closely related to the twin boundary:from the partial slips parallel to the twin boundary (~10 K),to increased confined layer slips and decreased twin migration(300 K–600 K),to decreased confined layer slips and increased dislocation interaction of dislocation pinning and dissociation (900 K–1200 K).Dislocation density and atomic structure types through quantitative analysis are implemented to further reveal the above-mentioned dislocation motion and atomic structure alteration.Our study is helpful for understanding the temperature-dependent plasticity of twin boundary in nanotwinned materials.

Performance-control-orientated hybrid metal additive manufacturing technologies:state of the art,challenges,and future trends

Metal additive manufacturing(AM)technologies have made significant progress in the basic theoretical field since their invention in the 1970s.However,performance instability during continuous processing,such as thermal history,residual stress accumulation,and columnar grain epitaxial growth,consistently hinders their broad application in standardized industrial production.To overcome these challenges,performance-control-oriented hybrid AM(HAM)technologies have been introduced.These technologies,by leveraging external auxiliary processes,aim to regulate microstructural evolution and mechanical properties during metal AM.This paper provides a systematic and detailed review of performance-control-oriented HAM technology,which is categorized into two main groups:energy field-assisted AM(EFed AM,e.g.ultrasonic,electromagnetic,and heat)technologies and interlayer plastic deformation-assisted AM(IPDed AM,e.g.laser shock peening,rolling,ultrasonic peening,and friction stir process)technologies.This review covers the influence of external energy fields on the melting,flow,and solidification behavior of materials,and the regulatory effects of interlayer plastic deformation on grain refinement,nucleation,and recrystallization.Furthermore,the role of performance-control-oriented HAM technologies in managing residual stress conversion,metallurgical defect closure,mechanical property improvement,and anisotropy regulation is thoroughly reviewed and discussed.The review concludes with an analysis of future development trends in EFed AM and IPDed AM technologies.

Revealing the role of pyramidal slip in the high ductility of Mg-Li alloy

The high ductility of Mg-Li alloy has been mainly ascribed to a high activity of pyramidal<c+a>slip to accommodate plastic strain.In the present study,however,a quantitative analysis reveals that Li-addition can only slightly stimulate the activation of pyramidal<c+a>slip under compression along the normal direction of a hot-rolled Mg-4.5 wt.%Li plate,with a relative activity of approximately 18%.Although the limited activity of pyramidal<c+a>slip alone cannot accommodate a large plastic strain,it effectively reduces the number of{10.11}−{10.12}double twins,which are believed to be favorable sites for crack initiation.The evidently reduced activity of double twins leads to a lower cracking tendency,and therefore improves ductility.

Study on creep deformation and energy development of underground surrounding rock under four‐dimensional support

There is an urgent need to develop optimal solutions for deformation control of deep high‐stress roadways,one of the critical problems in underground engineering.The previously proposed four‐dimensional support(hereinafter 4D support),as a new support technology,can set the roadway surrounding rock under three‐dimensional pressure in the new balanced structure,and prevent instability of surrounding rock in underground engineering.However,the influence of roadway depth and creep deformation on the surrounding rock supported by 4D support is still unknown.This study investigated the influence of roadway depth and creep deformation time on the instability of surrounding rock by analyzing the energy development.The elastic strain energy was analyzed using the program redeveloped in FLAC3D.The numerical simulation results indicate that the combined support mode of 4D roof supports and conventional side supports is highly applicable to the stability control of surrounding rock with a roadway depth exceeding 520 m.With the increase of roadway depth,4D support can effectively restrain the area and depth of plastic deformation in the surrounding rock.Further,4D support limits the accumulation range and rate of elastic strain energy as the creep deformation time increases.4D support can effectively reduce the plastic deformation of roadway surrounding rock and maintain the stability for a long deformation period of 6 months.As confirmed by in situ monitoring results,4D support is more effective for the long‐term stability control of surrounding rock than conventional support.

Construction and solution of strain model along thickness of aluminum alloy plate under plastic deformation

A thickness strain model of aluminium alloy plate under plastic deformation,based on thin plate assumption was proposed.It is found that when ratio of stress fractions is constant during in-plane loading,ratios of strain components under various loading conditions are linearly related and these points of ratios form a η-η line.Under these simple loadings,strains in thickness direction can be easily calculated by the η-η line equation without integral and differential work.When the plate is under more complicated loading conditions,the thickness can be computed by the proposed optimization and piecewise calculation model.Validation computations indicate that the relative error of the results of the presented model is less than 0.75% compared with the proven theories and FE simulation.Therefore,the developed model can be applied to engineering calculation,e.g.pre-stretching analysis of aerospace aluminium thick plate,with acceptable accuracy.

Simulation of mechanical behavior of AZ31 magnesium alloy during twin-dominated large plastic deformation

Experiments and visco-plastic self-consistent (VPSC) simulations were used to quantify the amount of twinning and the relationship to stress?strain behavior in a textured Mg?3Al?1Zn plate. Two different compression directions were utilized to favor{1012} extension or{1011} compression twinning.{1012} twins nucleate at the beginning of plastic deformation and grow to consume the parent grains completely. During compression along the normal direction,{1011} twinning and{1011}?{1012} double twinning start at strain of 0.05, and the number of twins increases until rupture, above strain of 0.15.{1011} and{1011}?{1012} twinning also occur during compression along the transverse direction, start at strain of 0.06 and then multiply in grains totally reoriented by{1012} twins. Using suitable parameters, the VPSC model can accurately predict the occurrence of extension, compression and double-twinning as well as the flow stresses and deformed textures. According to VPSC simulations, twinning and slip have the same latent hardening parameters.