High temperature deformation behavior of Nb-1 wt.%Zr alloy

The hot deformation behavior of Nb-1 wt.%Zr alloy was studied using uniaxial compression tests carried out in vacuum to a true strain of 0.6 in the temperature range of 900 to 1700 degrees C and the strain rate range of 3 x 10(-3) to 10 s(-1). The optimum regime of hot workability of Nb-1Zr alloy was determined from the strain rate sensitivity (m) contour plots. A high m of about 02 was obtained in the temperature and strain rate range of 1200-1500 degrees C and 10(-3) to 10(-1) s(-1) and 1600-1700 degrees C and 10(-1) to 1 s(-1). Microstructure of the deformed samples showed features of dynamic recrystallization within the high strain rate sensitivity domain. Compared to the study on Nb-1Zr-0.1C alloy, Nb-1Zr showed a lower flow stress and an optimum hot working domain at lower temperatures. In the 1500 to 1700 degrees C range the apparent activation energy of deformation for Nb-1Zr was 259 kJ mol(-1), the stress exponent 5, and the activation volume about 200 to 700 b(3). (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Deformation pathways and breakup modes in acoustically levitated bicomponent droplets under external heating

Controlled breakup of droplets using heat or acoustics is pivotal in applications such as pharmaceutics, nanoparticle production, and combustion. In the current work we have identified distinct thermal acoustics-induced deformation regimes (ligaments and bubbles) and breakup dynamics in externally heated acoustically levitated bicomponent (benzene-dodecane) droplets with a wide variation in volatility of the two components (benzene is significantly more volatile than dodecane). We showcase the physical mechanism and universal behavior of droplet surface caving in leading to the inception and growth of ligaments. The caving of the top surface is governed by a balance between the acoustic pressure field and the restrictive surface tension of the droplet. The universal collapse of caving profiles for different benzene concentration (<70% by volume) is shown by using an appropriate time scale obtained from force balance. Continuous caving leads to the formation of a liquid membrane-type structure which undergoes radial extension due to inertia gained during the precursor phase. The membrane subsequently closes at the rim and the kinetic energy leads to ligament formation and growth. Subsequent ligament breakup is primarily Rayleigh-Plateau type. The breakup mode shifts to diffusional entrapment-induced boiling with an increase in concentration of the volatile component (benzene >70% by volume). The findings are portable to any similar bicomponent systems with differential volatility.

Deformation, Phase Transformation and Recrystallization in the Shear Bands Induced by High-Strain Rate Loading in Titanium and its Alloys

alpha-titanium and its alloys with a dual-phase structure (alpha+beta) were deformed dynamically under strain rate of about 10(4) s(-1). The formation and microstructural evolution of the localized shear bands were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results reveal that both the strain and strain rate should be considered simultaneously as the mechanical conditions for shear band formation, and twinning is an important mode of deformation. Both experimental and calculation show that the materials within the bands underwent a superhigh strain rate (9 x 10(5) s(-1)) deformation, which is two magnitudes of that of average strain rate required for shear band formation; the dislocations in the bands can be constricted and developed into cell structures; the phase transformation from alpha to alpha(2) within the bands was observed, and the transformation products (alpha(2)) had a certain crystallographic orientation relationship with their parent; the equiaxed grains with an average size of 10 mu m in diameter observed within the bands are proposed to be the results of recrystallization.

Modeling and mesoscopic damage constitutive relation of brittle short-fiber-reinforced composites

Aimed at brittle composites reinforced by randomly distributed short-fibers with a relatively large aspect ratio, stiffness modulus and strength, a mesoscopic material model was proposed. Based on the statistical description, damage mechanisms, damage-induced anisotropy, damage rate effect and stress redistribution, the constitutive relation were derived. By taking glass fiber reinforced polypropylene polymers as an example, the effect of initial orientation distribution of fibers, damage-induced anisotropy, and damage-rate effect on macro-behaviors of composites were quantitatively analyzed. The theoretical predictions compared favorably with the experimental results.

Formation of Fivefold Deformation Twins in Nanocrystalline Face-Centered-Cubic Copper Based on Molecular Dynamics Simulations

Fivefold deformation twins were reported recently to be observed in the experiment of the nanocrystalline face-centered-cubic metals and alloys. However, they were not predicted previously based on the molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and the reason was thought to be a uniaxial tension considered in the simulations. In the present investigation, through introducing pretwins in grain regions, using the MD simulations, the authors predict out the fivefold deformation twins in the grain regions of the nanocrystal grain cell, which undergoes a uniaxial tension. It is shown in their simulation results that series of Shockley partial dislocations emitted from grain boundaries provide sequential twining mechanism, which results in fivefold deformation twins. (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics.

Twinning and Stacking Fault Formation during Tensile Deformation of Nanocrystalline Ni

Deformation twins and stacking faults have been observed in nanocrystal line Ni, for the first time under uniaxial tensile test conditions. These partial dislocation mediated deformation mechanisms are enhanced at cryogenic test temperatures. Our observations highlight the effects of deformation conditions, temperature in particular, on deformation mechanisms in nanograins.

Formation, Thermal Stability and Deformation Behavior of Graphite-Flakes Reinforced Cu-based Bulk Metallic Glass Matrix Composites

Graphite-flake reinforced Cu47Ti34Zr11 Ni-8 bulk metallic glass matrix composite was fabricated by water-cooled copper mould cast. Most of the graphite flakes still keep unreacted and distribute uniformly in the amorphous matrix except that some reactive wetting occurs by the formation of TiC particles around the flakes. It reveals that the presence of graphite flakes does not affect the onset of the glass transition temperature, crystallization reaction and liquidus of the metallic glass. The resulting material shows obvious serrated flow and higher fracture strength under room temperature compressive load, comparing with the monolithic bulk metallic glass (BMG). Three types of interaction between the shear bands and graphite flakes, namely, shear band termination, shear bands branching and new shear bands formation near the graphite flakes can be observed by quasi-static uniaxial compression test and bonded interface technique through Vickers indentation.

State Vector: A New Approach to Prediction of the Failure of Brittle Heterogeneous Media and Large Earthquakes

The concept of state vector stems from statistical physics, where it is usually used to describe activity patterns of a physical field in its manner of coarsegrain. In this paper, we propose an approach by which the state vector was applied to describe quantitatively the damage evolution of the brittle heterogeneous systems, and some interesting results are presented, i.e., prior to the macro-fracture of rock specimens and occurrence of a strong earthquake, evolutions of the four relevant scalars time series derived from the state vectors changed anomalously. As retrospective studies, some prominent large earthquakes occurred in the Chinese Mainland (e.g., the M 7.4 Haicheng earthquake on February 4, 1975, and the M 7.8 Tangshan earthquake on July 28, 1976, etc) were investigated. Results show considerable promise that the time-dependent state vectors could serve as a kind of precursor to predict earthquakes.

Experimental Study of Pore Pressure and Deformation of Suction Bucket Foundations Under Horizontal Dynamic Loading

Centrifuge experiments are carried out to investigate the responses of suction bucket foundations under horizontal dynamic loading. The effects of loading amplitude, the size of the bucket and the structural weight on the dynamic responses are investigated. It is shown that, when the loading amplitude is over a critical value, the sand at the upper part around the bucket softens or even liquefies. The liquefactio...

The Uniaxial Tensile Deformation of Ni Nanowire: Atomic-Scale Computer Simulations

The mechanical deformations of nickel nanowire subjected to uniaxial tensile strain at 300 K are simulated by using molecular dynamics with the quantum corrected Sutten-Chen many-body force field. We have used common neighbor analysis method to investigate the structural evolution of Ni nanowire during the elongation process. For the strain rate of 0.1%/ps, the elastic limit is up to about 11% strain with the yield stress of 8.6 GPa. At the elastic stage, the deformation is carried mainly through the uniform elongation of the distances between the layers (perpendicular to the Z-axis) while the atomic structure remains basically unchanged. With further strain, the slips in the {111} planes start to take place in order to accommodate the applied strain to carry the deformation partially, and subsequently the neck forms. The atomic rearrangements in the neck region result in a zigzag change in the stress-strain curve; the atomic structures beyond the region, however, have no significant changes. With the strain close to the point of the breaking, we observe the formation of a one-atom thick necklace in Ni nanowire. The strain rates have no significant effect on the deformation mechanism, but have some influence on the yield stress, the elastic limit, and the fracture strain of the nanowire.

A micromechanical damage theory for brittle materials with small cracks

For brittle solids containing numerous small cracks, a micromechanical damage theory is presented which accounts for the interactions between different small cracks and the effect of the boundary of a finite solid, and includes growth of the pre-existing small cracks. The analysis is based on a superposition scheme and series expansions of the complex potentials. The small crack evolution process is simulated through the use of fracture mechanics incorporating appropriate failure criteria. The stress-strain relations are obtained from the micromechanics analysis. Typical examples are given to illustrate the potential capability of the proposed theory. These results show that the present method provides a direct and efficient approach to deal with brittle finite solids containing multiple small cracks. The stress-strain relation curves are evaluated for a rectangular plate containing small cracks.

Real-Time Measurement on Deformation Fields of Hole-Excavated Samples under Impact Tension

In this paper, the real-time deformation fields are observed in two different kinds of hole-excavated dog-bone samples loaded by an SHTB, including single hole sample and dual holes sample with the aperture size of 0.8mm. The testing system consists of a high-speed camera, a He-Ne laser, a frame grabber and a synchronization device with the controlling accuracy of I microsecond. Both the single hole expanding process and the interaction of the two holes are recorded with the time interval of 10 mu s. The observed images on the sample surface are analyzed by newly developed software based on digital correlation theory and a modified image processing method. The 2-D displacement fields in plane are obtained with a resolution of 50 mu m and an accuracy of 0.5 mu m. Experimental results obtained in this paper are proofed, by compared with FEM numerical simulations.

Effect of structural relaxation on deformation behaviour of Zr-based metallic glass

Structural relaxation through isothermal annealing at tempertature below glass transition is conducted on Zr46.75Ti8.25Cu7.5Ni10Be27.5 (Vitreloy-4) bulk metallic glass. Defect concentration is correlated with the annealing time t according to differential scanning calorimetry thermalgrams. The effects of structural relaxation on mechanical properties and deformation behaviour are investigated by using instrumented nanoindentation. It is found that as-cast alloy exhibits pronounced serration flow during the loading process of nanoindentation, and the size and number of serrations decrease with the annealing time. The change of the deformation behaviour with structural relaxation is explained using a free volume model.

Research on Dynamic Micro-Deformation under Laser Point Source

The dynamic micro-deformation of the specimen under laser point source is measured using a laser beam reflex amplifier system and numerically simulated by Msc.Marc software. Compared with experimental result and calculated result, the final deformation direction of the specimen depends on the result of the thermal strain and the phase transformation strain cooperation, away from the laser beam or towards the laser beam, the final deformation angle depends on temperature gradient in the thickness direction and the geometry constraint of the specimen. The conclusion lays the foundation for further research on the mechanism of laser bending. At the same time, it is proposed that the model of calculation based on classical Fourier heat transfer theory cannot be enough to simulate the dynamic micro-deformation of the specimen under laser point source, the model of calculation should be modified in the future.