Effect of Grain Size on Mechanical Properties of Commercially Pure Titanium

The grain-size dependence of certain mechanical properties of commercially pure titanium under deformation at room temperature is examined. A decrease in the grain size is found to provide a continuous improvement in strength, lower work hardening, and nonmonotonic dependence of the length of the uniform deformation stage. Furthermore, localized deformation in the neck and total plasticity before fracture exhibit a low sensitivity to the grain size. A yield tooth and plateau occur in the flow curve as the structure is reduced down to a certain grain size. The grain-size dependence of the mechanical behavior of the material and its relation to the dislocation redistribution are discussed.     

Nonlinear phase field theory for fracture and twinning with analysis of simple shear

A phase field theory for coupled twinning and fracture in single crystal domains is developed. Distinct order parameters denote twinned and fractured domains, finite strains are addressed and elastic nonlinearity is included via a neo-Hookean strain energy potential. The governing equations and boundary conditions are derived; an incremental energy minimization approach is advocated for prediction of equilibrium microstructural morphologies under quasi-static loading protocols. Aspects of the theory are analysed in detail for a material element undergoing simple shear deformation. Exact analytical and/or one-dimensional numerical solutions are obtained in dimensionless form for stress states, stability criteria and order parameter profiles at localized fractures or twinning zones. For sufficient applied strain, the relative likelihood of localized twinning vs. localized fracture is found to depend only on the ratio of twin boundary surface energy to fracture surface energy. Predicted criteria for shear stress-driven fracture or twinning are often found to be in closer agreement with test data for several types of real crystals than those based on the concept of theoretical strength.     

Kinetics of localized plastic flow during deformation and fracture of a D1 alloy

The stress-strain curve of a polycrystalline duralumine (D1) is studied to find three basic deformation stages: linear hardening, parabolic hardening (n = 1/2), and prefracture (n < 1/2). The results obtained show special features of macrolocalization of the plastic flow of the alloy under review. The distribution patterns of localized plastic flow domains develop according to deformation stages. The prefracture stage is characterized by self-correlated motion of the domains to the point of subsequent fracture. It follows from an analysis of the plastic flow localization kinetics that both hardening and softening domains coexist in the specimen in the prefracture stage. The domains move with a constant velocity inherent to each of them and linearly dependent on the position of their nucleation point. __________ Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 11, pp. 68–73, November, 2007.     

Fracture modes in fiber networks

Two-dimensional fiber networks of varying disorder are studied with a quasi-one-dimensional model. When disorder increases, the process of fracture in the localized stage evolves continuously from crack propagation to uncorrelated microcracking. In larger systems the transition takes place over a narrower range of disorder. Along with the change in the nature of fracture, the maximum of the tension on the network moves from the beginning to the end of the fracture process. Irrespective of the size of the system, this always occurs around the same degree of disorder and becomes more distinct with increasing system size. At the thermodynamic limit, a discontinuous change is suggested in the ratio of the strain at the first fiber failure to the strain at the final collapse.     

An experimental study of the mechanical behavior of frozen arteries at low temperatures

An experimental study of the mechanical response of frozen arteries to tensile stresses at low temperatures is presented. The Dynamic Mechanical Analyzer was used to perform the mechanical experiments. It was found that the frozen artery shows a kind of elastic-plasticity when the temperature is between -20 C and -40 C. And with the decrease of the temperature, the plasticity deformation decreases. Thus at the temperature of -120 C no plasticity deformation is observed before the artery's fracture and the tissue shows quite perfect elastic brittleness, both peripherally and axially. These kinds of mechanical characteristics help explain the fracture phenomena occurring during cryopreservation of the arteries. The mechanical properties, including elastic modulus and fracture strength, are also given. It is known that Cryoprotectant (CPA) used in cryopreservation is necessary in maintaining the tissue's biological functions. Our investigation of its effect on the artery's mechanical properties found that the existence of CPA can soften the tissue at low temperatures, thus may decrease the possibility of fractures during the cryopreservation.     

Plasticity enhancement in 25Cr15Co hard magnetic alloy deformed in bridgman anvils

In the work, we studied the evolution of structural and mechanical properties of 25Cr15Co hard magnetic alloy under shear deformation in Bridgman anvils at different rotation angles. It is shown that at the initial stage, severe plastic strains in a highly coercive (α₁ + α₂) state are localized in shear bands, in which the α₁ and α₂ phases are dissolved and an oversaturated a solid solution is formed. As this takes place, there arises a mixed structure consisting of misoriented fragments of the (α₁ + α₂) phase surrounded by interlayers of the a solid solution. A further increase in strain degree results in a single-phase nanocrystalline structure with a grain size of about 50 nm. It is found that the dissolution of the α₁ phases in the α₂ matrix under severe plastic deformation causes an increase in the strength characteristics and plasticity of 25Cr15Co alloy at all strain degrees under study. Maximum plasticity is found in the alloy with a mixed structure consisting of submicrocrystalline and cellular sites, and formation of nanocrystalline grains causes the plasticity to decrease somewhat.     

Fracture and cavitation in a constrained thin metal layer under a scale effect in layered materials

Dislocation activities are confined within a thin metal layer. Therefore instead of continuum plasticity theory, individual dislocation activities are considered in order to analyse their effects on fracture, especially interface fracture. Three failure modes may occur in the thin ductile layer: interface fracture, metal fracture and metal cavitation. These failure modes are studied and the competition between them is examined. It seems that interface fracture occurs prior to metal fracture provided that the cohesive strengths of the interface and the metal are similar. In general, the fracture toughness of the thin layer will increase with increasing layer thickness. However, at a layer thickness of about 10 mm, the layer is more likely to fail by interface debonding, prior to any failure by ductile cavitation. Finally, using material and geometric parameters, a relation is given which determines the competition between crack fracture and cavity instability.     

金属玻璃的键态特征与塑性起源

由于缺乏位错、晶界等典型的晶格缺陷,金属玻璃体系中承载力的形变单元为短程序或中程序原子团簇,键的强度及成键方向是影响原子间协调变形能力主要因素.本文通过与晶态合金对比,指出金属玻璃中原子键合方式与宏观力学性能的潜在关系,综述了金属材料电子结构与力学性能内在关系的最新研究进展,并系统介绍了金属玻璃电子结构特征、表征参量和主要测试手段,使读者对金属玻璃体系中原子间的键态特征有较清晰的认识,对进一步探索本征塑性较好的金属玻璃体系具有一定指导意义.     

Plasticity limit of metals during hot plastic deformation

A model of plasticity limit has been derived in the condition of hot plastic deformation, where dynamic recrystallization takes place, through the ratio between the rate of grain boundary sliding and the overall deformation rate. If fracture occurs preferentially at the grain boundaries we can replace the grain boundary deformation through the energy needed to cause fracture and express the temperature influence on the deformation stress. The plasticity limit is then the function of Zener-Hollomon parameter and deformation stress, where the exponent of deformation stress has a value of –4·3.     

Shear and distensile fracture behaviour of Ti-based composites with ductile dendrites

The room-temperature deformation and fracture behaviour of Ti-based composites with ductile dendrites, prepared by copper mold casting and arc-melting techniques, was investigated. Under compressive loading, the Ti-based composites display high fracture strength (about 2000?MPa) and good ductility (about 4 or 10%). The yield strength of the Ti-based composites is relatively low (about 565–923?MPa). However, they have a large strain-hardening ability before failure, due to the interactions between shear bands and dendrites. For the arc-melted Ti-based composites, fracture often occurs in a shear mode with a high plasticity (about 10%). In contrast, the cast Ti-based composites break or split into several parts with a compressive plasticity of 4%, rather than failing in a shear mode. A new fracture mechanism, i.e. distensile fracture, is proposed for the first time to elucidate the failure of the as-cast Ti-based composites. Based on the difference in the fracture modes of the differently prepared composites, the relationships between shear and distensile fracture mechanisms and the corresponding fracture criteria are discussed.     

Interface Separation in Residually-Stressed Thin-Film Structures

Plasticity is a significant contributor to the interfacial fracture resistance of multilayer thin-film structures containing ductile layers. Salient parameters affecting plasticity contributions to interfacial fracture energy including the ductile layer thickness, yield strength, and the maximum cohesive stress governing interface separation, have been reported. However, the effects of residual stresses in the thin-film layers on such plasticity contributions have not been considered. We explore the effect of residual stresses on debonding with particular attention to the relationship between the stress state in both ductile and elastic layers and the resulting macroscopic debond energy. Using multiscale simulations it is shown that residual thin-film stresses can alter plasticity in the ductile layer and significantly influence the macroscopic fracture energy. A simple yield-based model to account for this behavior is proposed.     

PBX材料宏细观断裂行为的数字散斑相关法实验研究

 采用半圆盘弯曲实验和数字散斑相关方法,对高聚物粘结炸药（PBX）的宏、细观断裂行为进行了实验研究。宏观上,带有预制裂纹的半圆盘试样发生拉伸破坏,利用数字散斑相关技术得到了试样的应变场和位移矢量场分布,定量分析了试样全场的变形特征,并测得了PBX材料的平面应变断裂韧性;细观上,用配有加载装置的扫描电子显微镜对含预制裂纹的半圆盘试样间接拉伸下的损伤演化和破坏过程进行了实时原位观察,借助于数字散斑相关方法,定量分析了试样损伤局部化特征。结果表明,将数字散斑相关方法用于研究PBX材料宏、细观尺度上的变形破坏问题是有效的。     

Influence of boron on the low-temperature plasticity and fracture mechanism in the high-temperature synthesis of the intermetallic Ni3Al

We have studied the influence of boron on the plasticity and strength of the intermetallic compound Ni₃Al at stoichiometric and nonstoichiometric compositions, grown by self-propagating high temperature synthesis. We have determined the nature of the fracture and the fraction of brittle intercrystallite and viscous transcrystallite fracture. A correlation is found between the low temperature plasticity and the fraction of transcrystallite fracture. It is shown that the addition of boron, up to its solubility increases the cohesive strength of the grain boundaries in melts at the stoichiometric and nonstoichiometric compositions. In a melt with 25 at. % Al it remains about two times smaller than in a melt with 24 at. % Al.V. D. Kuznetsova Physicotechnical Institute at Tomsk University, Siberia. Institute for the Physics of Strength and Materials Fabrication, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 12, pp. 47–53, December, 1993.     

Crack front waves and the dynamics of a rapidly moving crack

Crack front waves are nonlinear localized waves that propagate along the leading edge of a crack. They are generated by both the interaction of a crack with a localized material inhomogeneity and the intrinsic formation of microbranches. Front waves are shown to transport energy, generate surface structure, and lead to localized velocity fluctuations. Their existence locally imparts inertia, which is not incorporated in current theories of fracture, to initially "massless" cracks. This, coupled to microbranch formation, yields both inhomogeneity and scaling behavior within the fracture surface structure.     

Crack growth on the basal plane in single crystal zinc: experiments and computations

Crack propagation on the basal planes in zinc was examined by means of in situ fracture testing of pre-cracked single crystals, with specific attention paid to the fracture mechanism. During quasistatic loading, crack propagation occurred in short bursts of dynamic crack extension followed by periods of arrests, the latter accompanied by plastic deformation and blunting of the crack-tip. In situ observations confirmed nucleation and propagation of microcracks on parallel basal planes and plastic deformation and failure of the linking ligaments. Pre-existing twins in the crack path serve as potent crack arrestors. The crystallographic orientation of the crack growth direction on the basal plane was found to influence both the fracture load as well as the deformation at the crack-tip, producing fracture surfaces of noticeably different appearances. Finite element analysis incorporating crystal plasticity was used to identify dominant slip systems and the stress distribution around the crack-tip in plane stress and plane strain. The computational results are helpful in rationalizing the experimental observations including the mechanism of crack propagation, the orientation dependence of crack-tip plasticity and the fracture surface morphology.     

A multiscale gradient-dependent plasticity model for size effects

The mechanical behaviour of polycrystalline material is closely correlated to grain size. In this study, we investigate the size-dependent phenomenon in multi-phase steels using a continuum dislocation dynamic model coupled with viscoplastic self-consistent model. We developed a dislocation-based strain gradient plasticity model and a stress gradient plasticity model, as well as a combined model, resulting in a theory that can predict size effect over a wide range of length scales. Results show that strain gradient plasticity and stress gradient plasticity are complementary rather than competing theories. The stress gradient model is dominant at the initial strain stage, and is much more effective for predicting yield strength than the strain gradient model. For larger deformations, the strain gradient model is dominant and more effective for predicting size-dependent hardening. The numerical results are compared with experimental data and it is found that they have the same trend for the yield stress. Furthermore, the effect of dislocation density at different strain stages is investigated, and the findings show that the Hall–Petch relation holds for the initial strain stage and breaks down for higher strain levels. Finally, a power law to describe the size effect and the transition zone between the strain gradient and stress gradient dominated regions is developed.     

Dislocation Plasticity Effects on Interfacial Fracture

Analyses are reviewed where plastic flow in the vicinity of an interfacial crack is represented in terms of the nucleation and glide of discrete dislocations. Attention is confined to cracks along a metal-ceramic interface, with the ceramic idealized as being rigid. Both monotonic and fatigue loading are considered. The main focus is on the stress and deformation fields near the crack tip predicted by discrete dislocation plasticity, in comparison with those obtained from conventional continuum plasticity theory. The role that discrete dislocation plasticity can play in interpreting interface fracture properties in the presence of plastic flow is discussed.     

Mechanical property and deformation mechanism of gold nanowire with non-uniform distribution of twinned boundaries:A molecular dynamics simulation study

The mechanical property and deformation mechanism of twinned gold nanowire with non-uniform distribution of twinned boundaries(TBs) are studied by the molecular dynamics(MD) method. It is found that the twin boundary spacing(TBS) has a great effect on the strength and plasticity of the nanowires with uniform distribution of TBs. And the strength enhances with the decrease of TBS, while its plasticity declines. For the nanowires with non-uniform distribution of TBs, the differences in distribution among different TBSs have little effect on the Young's modulus or strength, and the compromise in strength appears. But the differences have a remarkable effect on the plasticity of twinned gold nanowire. The twinned gold nanowire with higher local symmetry ratio has better plasticity. The initial dislocations always form in the largest TBS and the fracture always appears at or near the twin boundaries adjacent to the smallest TBS. Some simulation results are consistent with the experimental results.     

Blow-up Modes in Fracture of Rock Samples and Earth’s Crust Elements

It is well known that the final stage of macroscopic fracture develops as a catastrophe in a superfast blow-up mode. However, the specific features of this stage are well studied only on large scales of earthquakes. Of particular interest for fracture prediction are both the stage of superfast catastrophic fracture and the mechanical behavior of the medium in the state of self-organized criticality prior to transition of fracture to the blow-up mode in order to reveal precursors of fracture transition to the catastrophic stage. This paper studies experimentally and theoretically the mechanical behavior of the medium prior to the catastrophic stage and transition to the blow-up mode. Rock samples (marble and artificial marble) were tested in three-point bending and uniaxial compression tests. The lateral surface velocities of loaded samples were recorded using a laser Doppler vibrometer. The recording frequency in measurements was 48 kHz, and the determination accuracy of the velocity amplitude was 0.1 μm/s. The estimated duration of the blow-up fracture stage is 10–20 ms. The mechanical behavior of samples in the experimental conditions, including the catastrophic fracture stage, is simulated numerically. The damage accumulation model parameters are determined from a comparison with the experimental data. Certain features of the mechanical response prior to catastrophic fracture are revealed which can be interpreted as fracture precursors.