A review of challenges and opportunities in micropillar compression studies in Mg alloys

This review paper provides an overview of the micropillar compression technique as applied to magnesium(Mg) and its alloys. It explores the influence of various factors, such as pillar size, shape, temperature, and strain rate on the mechanical properties of Mg.Additionally, the impact of alloying elements, aging, and precipitates in Mg alloys has been extensively examined, revealing their significant influence on mechanical performance. The study highlights the strength and strain hardening improvements in Mg with decreasing pillar size in micropillar compression. Furthermore, the role of precipitates as strengthening agents, affecting deformation mechanisms and overall mechanical response, is explored. These valuable insights are crucial for designing Mg-based materials with enhanced mechanical properties for advanced engineering applications.

Reveal Hydrogen Behavior at Grain Boundaries in Fe-22Mn-0.6C TWIP Steel via In Situ Micropillar Compression Test

In this study,the effect of hydrogen on dislocation and twinning behavior along various grain boundaries in a high-manganese twinning-induced plasticity steel was investigated using an in situ micropillar compression test.The compressive stress in both elastic and plastic regimes was increased with the presence of hydrogen.Further investigation by transmission electron backscatter diffraction and scanning transmission electron microscope demonstrated that hydrogen promoted both dislocation multiplication and twin formation,which resulted in higher stress concentration at twin-twin and twin-grain boundary intersections.

Molecular dynamics simulation and micropillar compression of deformation behavior in iridium single crystals

The compression behaviors of iridium single crystals with different crystalline orientations were investigated by micropillar compression tests and molecular dynamics(MD) simulations.The results indicated that the deformation process of iridium single crystals with [100]and [110] orientations was presented as the stacking faults expansion and the formation of Lomer-Cottrell locks.And the occurrence of Lomer-Cottrell locks was considered as the interaction of stacking faults on {111} planes by MD simulations.The evolution of crystal structure in compression indicated that the Lomer-Cottrell locks might contribute to the large plastic deformation of iridium single crystals.Moreover,the deformation features in MD simulations showed that the elastic modulus(E) and yield stress(σ_(s)) of iridium single crystals were significantly influenced by the temperature.The elastic modulus and yield stress gradually decreased with an increased temperature for all orientations.Meanwhile,the single crystal with a closely spaced lattice structure exhibited superior mechanical properties at a same temperature.

Effect of hydrogen on deformation behavior of Alloy 725 revealed by in-situ bi-crystalline micropillar compression test

Nickel-based Alloy 725 bi-crystalline micropillars with different types of grain boundaries(GBs)were compressed in hydrogen-free and in-situ hydrogen-charged conditions to investigate the hydrogen effect on the deformation behavior of the selected GBs.In the presence of hydrogen,the compressive stresses on the micropillars increase regardless of the GB type.It was proposed that this hydrogen-induced hardening behavior is the synergistic effect of hydrogen-enhanced dislocation multiplication and interactions,the pinning effect of hydrogen on dislocation motion,and hydrogen-enhanced lattice friction.Transmission electron backscatter diffraction(t-EBSD)results demonstrate that both low-angle GBs and high-angle GBs can effectively suppress dislocation transmission through the GBs,resulting in dislocations pile up along the GBs in the hydrogen-charged condition.In contrast,this behavior was not observed in the micropillars with twin boundaries.

Superior strength-plasticity synergy in a heterogeneous lamellar Ti_(2)AlC/TiAl composite with unique interfacial microstructure

Improving the plasticity of TiAl alloys at room temperature has been a longstanding challenge for the de-velopment of next-generation aerospace engines.By adopting the nacre-like architecture design strategy,we have obtained a novel heterogeneous lamellar Ti_(2)AlC/TiAl composite with superior strength-plasticity synergy,i.e.,compressive strength of∼2065 MPa and fracture strain of∼27%.A combination of micropil-lar compression and large-scale atomistic simulation has revealed that the superior strength-plasticity synergy is attributed to the collaboration of Ti_(2)AlC reinforcement,lamellar architecture and heteroge-neous interface.More specifically,multiple deformation modes in Ti_(2)AlC,i.e.,basal-plane dislocations,atomic-scale ripples and kink bands,could be activated during the compression,thus promoting the plas-tic deformation capability of composite.Meanwhile,the lamellar architecture could not only induce sig-nificant stress redistribution and crack deflection between Ti_(2)AlC and TiAl,but also generate high-density SFs and DTs interactions in TiAl,leading to an improved strength and strain hardening ability.In addi-tion,profuse unique Ti_(2)AlC(1¯10¯3)/TiAl(111)interfaces in the composite could dramatically contribute to the strength and plasticity due to the interface-mediated dislocation nucleation and obstruction mecha-nisms.These findings offer a promising paradigm for tailoring microstructure of TiAl matrix composites with extraordinary strength and plasticity at ambient temperature.

Rate-dependent mechanical behavior of single-,bi-,twinned-,and poly-crystals of CoCrFeNi high-entropy alloy

While considerable effort is made to understand the solid solution strengthening on the deformation behavior of high-entropy alloys(HEAs),relatively little attention is paid to the role of microstructural interfaces,especially twin boundaries(TBs),on the strain-rate sensitivity(SRS)of them.To address this,we have conducted micropillar compression experiments on single-,bi-,and twinned-crystals of Co CrFe Ni HEA and compared the results with those obtained with uniaxial tensile and compression tests on polycrystalline bulk samples.Results show that SRS,as well as the yield strength and plastic flow behavior,in single crystals are orientation dependent due to the differences in the maximum Schmid factors.While the high-angle grain boundaries arrest dislocation motion,TBs allow for dislocation transmission through them,which result in distinct mechanical responses.While the bi-crystal’s deformation behavior is controlled by the‘hard’grain,twinned crystals exhibit an‘averaged’response.The large diversity of the reported SRS values in face centered cubic HEAs could be due to the varying fractions and thus contributions of annealing twins in the tested samples.