Al–Pd–Mn icosahedral quasicrystal: deformation mechanisms in the brittle domain

The extreme brittleness of Al–Pd–Mn quasi-crystalline alloys over a wide range of temperatures drastically restricts investigation of their plastic deformation mechanisms over a small high-temperature regime. Recently, plastic deformation of Al–Pd–Mn quasicrystal has been achieved in the brittle domain (20?≤?T?≤?690°C) using specific deformation devices, which combined a uniaxial compression deformation or a shear deformation with a hydrostatic pressure confinement (0.35–5?GPa). Results of these experimental techniques, which provide various deformation conditions giving rise to a range of Al–Pd–Mn plastic features in the brittle domain, are discussed. On this basis, we propose that low and intermediate temperature plastic properties of Al–Pd–Mn are controlled by non-planar dislocation core extensions specific to the non-periodic structure.     

Contributions of different strengthening mechanisms to the shear strength of an extruded Mg–4Zn–0.5Ca alloy

The shear deformation behaviour of an extruded Mg–4Zn–0.5Ca alloy was studied using shear punch testing at room temperature. The extrusion process effectively refined the microstructure, leading to a grain size of 4.6 ± 1.4 μm. Contributions of different strengthening mechanisms to the room temperature shear yield stress, and overall flow stress of the material, were calculated. These mechanisms include dislocation strengthening, grain boundary strengthening, solid solution hardening and strengthening resulting from second-phase particles. Grain boundary strengthening and solid solution hardening made significant contributions to the overall strength of the material, while the contributions of second-phase particles and dislocations were trivial. The observed differences between calculated and experimental strength values were discussed based on the textural softening of the material.     

Texture evolution in Mg–Mn and Mg–Mn–Ce alloys and the effect of as-cast grain size

Texture evolution in rolled (400°C) and annealed (450°C) Mg–1% Mn-based alloys containing different levels of Ce was examined. It was found that Ce refines the as-cast and rolled/annealed grain structure. The overall intensity of the basal texture decreases with Ce additions in both the rolled and subsequently annealed condition. A strong relationship was found between maximum intensity (M) of rolling and annealing textures and the as-cast effective grain size, d?′, i.e. M?∝?e^{0.4 d ?′} (R ^2?=?0.8), which was attributed to the role of plastic compatibility stresses which lead to grain boundary deformation altering the balance of deformation modes. Contributions from Ce solute effects and lattice parameter changes are also discussed.     

Macroscopic inhomogeneous deformation behavior arising in single crystal Ni–Mn–Ga foils under tensile loading

This study investigated macroscopic inhomogeneous deformation occurring in single-crystal Ni–Mn–Ga foils under uniaxial tensile loading. Two types of single-crystal Ni–Mn–Ga foil samples were examined as-received and after thermo-mechanical training. Local strain and the strain field were measured under tensile loading using laser speckle and digital image correlation. The as-received sample showed a strongly inhomogeneous strain field with intermittence under progressive deformation, but the trained sample result showed strain field homogeneity throughout the specimen surface. The as-received sample is a mainly polycrystalline-like state composed of the domain structure. The sample contains many domain boundaries and large domain structures in the body. Its structure would cause large local strain band nucleation with intermittence. However, the trained one is an ideal single-crystalline state with a transformation preferential orientation of variants after almost all domain boundary and large domain structures vanish during thermo-mechanical training. As a result, macroscopic homogeneous deformation occurs on the trained sample surface during deformation.     

Characterization of in situ mechanically worked PVD Mg–Ti alloys

Mg–Ti alloys with up to 46?wt%?Ti in solid solution were produced by physical vapour deposition (PVD) with in situ mechanical working. All the alloys exhibited compositional inhomogeneity, columnar microstructures and typical PVD defects. The thermal stability of the solid solutions decreased with increasing Ti content, with the most stable solid solution breaking up above 566?K. The in situ mechanical working reduced porosity by closing pores and flattened surface asperities. The oxide film on the surface of the Mg–8?wt%?Ti alloy was Ti-free. The air formed oxide film on the alloys with a Ti content above 8?wt% was identiffied as a mixture of MgO and TiO₂ covered by Mg(OH)₂ and hydromagnesite at the outermost surface. Magnesium oxide and titanium oxide were also formed at the columnar boundaries that were not affected by the in situ mechanical working. The oxide chemistry was studied using Auger parameter analysis.     

In situ synchrotron X-ray microdiffraction analysis of thermomechanically induced phase transformations in Cu–Al–Ni shape-memory alloy

Phase transformations in a single-crystal Cu–Al–Ni shape-memory alloy induced by thermomechanical effects were investigated in situ by high-resolution synchrotron X-ray microdiffraction. Contrary to the common belief, austenite texture maps revealed that austenite-to-martensite transformation occurred during heating of the partially transformed material under fixed specimen elongation. Twinned and detwinned types of martensite coexisted during this austenite-to-martensite phase transformation. Twinning and detwinning structures evolved to accommodate changes in stress and strain generated in the temperature-varying environment. Small amounts of austenite exhibiting distorted crystallographic orientation were detected in regions of stress-induced martensite during heating of the partially transformed material. The results of this investigation provide insight into intriguing stress rate-dependent phenomena intrinsic of shape-memory alloys and elucidate complex phase transformations due to thermal and mechanical stress effects.     

HRTEM study of the effect of deformation on the early precipitation behaviour in an AA6060 Al–Mg–Si alloy

The effect of 10% pre-ageing deformation on the early precipitation behaviour in an AA6060 Al–Mg–Si alloy aged 10?min at 190°C was investigated by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) in ?100?Al projections. The precipitate nucleation was heterogeneous since all precipitates were found to grow on dislocation lines. The pre-ageing deformation suppresses growth of Gunier–Preston zones and β″ phase. The resulting precipitates are still largely coherent with the aluminium matrix. They appear with two main morphologies; one consists of independent, small cross-sections arising from needles with disordered β′ and B′ structures. The other morphology is a much more continuous decoration where precipitates have elongated and conjoined cross-sections and where a particular precipitate phase could not be determined. All precipitates in this work were found to contain a common near-hexagonal sub-cell (SC) with projected bases a?=?b?≈?0.4?nm. This strongly indicates that they are built over the same Si network, which recently has been demonstrated to exist in all precipitates in the Al–Mg–Si(–Cu) system. For the discrete morphology type the network has one hexagonal base vector parallel to or very near a ?510?Al direction. For the continuous type, one base vector falls along a ?100?Al direction. This orientation of the network is different from previous studies of ternary Al–Mg–Si alloys and must be a direct consequence of the deformation.     

Modeling the TDFD dissolution of Al–Fe–Mn–Si particles in an Al–4.5Zn–1Mg alloy

Dissolution of large particles in DC-cast 7xxx aluminum alloys is one of the primary objectives of the homogenization process. A mathematical model to describe and predict this complex thermodynamical and kinetical process is of great significance. In this paper, the details of a diffusion-limited dissolution model, based on the thinning, discontinuation and full dissolution (TDFD) mechanism, to predict the dissolution of the Al₁₇(Fe_3.2, Mn_0.8)Si₂ particles is described. The model is capable of predicting the volume fraction and thickness of the particles during homogenization at different temperatures and time intervals. The predicted results are in good agreement with measurements using quantitative X-ray diffraction (QXRD) and quantitative field emission gun-scanning electron microscopy (QSEM). The model predictions of the supersaturation parameter, interface position, interface movement rate of the planar surfaces and the cylindrical edges, and the effect of the occurrence of discontinuities on the dissolution extent are presented.     

In situ Raman Spectroscopic Study of the Kinetics of the Chemical Dissolution of Ytterbium Oxide in YbCl3–KCl Melt

Journal of Applied Spectroscopy - Using the Yb2O3–YbCl3–KCl oxide–chloride system as an example, an approach has been proposed and tested permitting a Raman spectral study of the...     

In situ and tomographic analysis of dislocation/grain boundary interactions in α-titanium

In situ straining in the transmission electron microscope and diffraction-contrast electron tomography have been applied to the investigation of dislocation/grain boundary and dislocation/twin boundary interactions in α-Ti. It was found that, similar to FCC materials, the transfer of dislocations across grain boundaries is governed primarily by the minimization of the magnitude of the Burgers vector of the residual grain boundary dislocation. That is, grain boundary strain energy density minimization determines the selection of the emitted slip system.     

Effect of upsetting deformation temperature on the formation of the fine-grained cast alloy structure of the Ni–Mn–Ga system

The plastic behavior during deformation by upsetting and its effect on the microstructure in the polycrystalline Ni_2.19Fe_0.04Mn_0.77Ga alloy are studied. The temperatures of martensitic and magnetic phase transformations were determined by the method for analyzing the temperature dependence of the specific magnetization as M _F = 320 K, A _S = 360 K, and T _C = 380 K. Using differential scanning calorimetry, it is shown that the phase transition from the ordered phase L2₁ to the disordered phase B2 is observed in the alloy during sample heating in the temperature range of 930–1070 K. The melting temperature is 1426 K. An analysis of the load curves constructed for sample deposition at temperatures of 773, 873, and 973 K shows that the behavior of the stress–strain curve at a temperature of 773 K is inherent to cold deformation. The behavior of the dependences for 873 and 973 K is typical of hot deformation. After deforming the alloy, its microstructure is studied using backscattered scanning electron microscopy. Plastic deformation of the alloy at study temperatures results in grain structure fragmentation in the localized deformation region. At all temperatures, a recrystallized grain structure is observed. It is found that the structure is heterogeneously recrystallized after upsetting at 973 K due to the process intensity at such a high temperature. The alloy microstructure after plastic deformation at a temperature of 873 K is most homogeneous in terms of the average grain size.     

Crystallographic features of the approximant H (Mn7Si2V) phase in the Mn–Si–V alloy system

The intermetallic compound H (Mn₇Si₂V) phase in the Mn–Si–V alloy system can be regarded as an approximant phase of the dodecagonal quasicrystal as one of the two-dimensional quasicrystals. To understand the features of the approximant H phase, in this study, the crystallographic features of both the H phase and the (σ → H) reaction in Mn–Si–V alloy samples were investigated, mainly by transmission electron microscopy. It was found that, in the H phase, there were characteristic structural disorders with respect to an array of a dodecagonal structural unit consisting of 19 dodecagonal atomic columns. Concretely, penetrated structural units consisting of two dodecagonal structural units were presumed to be typical of such disorders. An interesting feature of the (σ → H) reaction was that regions with a rectangular arrangement of penetrated structural units (RAPU) first appeared in the σ matrix as the initial state, and H regions were then nucleated in contact with RAPU regions. The subsequent conversion of RAPU regions into H regions eventually resulted in the formation of the approximant H state as the final state. Furthermore, atomic positions in both the H structure and the dodecagonal quasicrystal were examined using a simple plane-wave model with 12 plane waves.     

In situ viscometry of high-pressure melts in the Paris–Edinburgh cell: application to liquid FeS

Knowledge of the viscosity of high-pressure melts is important in various domains of research, such as geosciences or materials science. Experimentally, the viscosity of liquids can be determined using the falling sphere technique. This method has been developed at high pressures and high temperatures at Beamline ID27 of the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF), combining a Paris–Edinburgh cell with in situ X-ray radiography. The press is interfaced to Soller slits and imaging systems to measure high-quality diffraction patterns and high-resolution X-ray images of the sample. The viscosity of the liquid is derived from the velocity of a dense sphere falling through the pressurized melt and the Stokes law. An optimized two-circle diffractometer allows for moving the press upside down in order to perform a series of measurements on a single sample. The simultaneous collection of X-ray diffraction data on liquids offers the unique opportunity of investigating the relations between viscosity and the structure of melts. The potential of this new equipment is illustrated on the example of FeS melt viscosity and its implications for the Earth's core.     

Bond properties of the chalcopyrite and stannite phases in the Cu–(In,Ga)–Se system

Bond properties of the chalcopyrite and (defect) stannite phases in the Cu–(In,Ga)–Se system are compared in view of the bond overlap population calculated by the molecular orbital calculation of the DV-Xα method. Bond stretching force constant α is estimated for the stannite phases through the bond Ovlp. The Cu–Se and In(Ga)–Se bonds in defect stannite structure are considered to be mechanically weakened by the 2b-site vacancies. We estimate the weakened force constants to be 60–70% of those in the chalcopyrite structure. On the other hand, in In(Ga)-rich stannite, In(Ga)_4d–Se_8i and In(Ga)_2b–Se_8i bonds are estimated to be tighter by 23–25 and 8–9%, respectively, than In(Ga)_4b–Se_8d bond in the chalcopyrite structure. The Γ₁ frequencies of the stannite phases are also calculated using the estimated force constants. Characteristic Raman signals peaked at 160–175 cm⁻¹ observed for the Cu(In_1−xGa_x)₃Se₅ system are explained by the Cu-rich phase for the Cu–In–Se system, and the phase combination of Cu-rich and Ga_2aV_2b types for the Cu–Ga–Se system from these calculations.     

63Cu NMR analysis of microstructure evolution in Al–Cu–Mg alloys

⁶³Cu NMR spectroscopy has been used to detect metastable Guinier–Preston–Bagaryatsky (GPB) zones and nanoscale precipitates of equilibrium S-phase (Al₂CuMg) in dilute alloys of aluminium containing copper and magnesium with compositions which lie in the α?+?S phase field. The GPB zones are observed to form rapidly at room temperature with a time development closely related to the Vickers hardness. The final development of S-phase in the alloy has been confirmed by the observation of a line shape in the alloy identical to that observed in a specimen prepared from stoichiometric Al₂CuMg. Analysis of the hyperfine structure of the ⁶³Cu line shape observed for S-phase shows clearly that two Cu sites are present with approximately equal population. This result suggests that possibly two crystallographically distinct Al₂CuMg phases are present. The addition of small amounts of silver to Al–Cu–Mg alloys in the α?+?θ phase field is known to induce the formation of Ω-phase: a slight distortion of tetragonal θ-phase Al₂Cu. A hyperfine-structured ⁶³Cu line shape assigned to Ω-phase, indicating one distinct Cu site, has been observed in two separate Al–1.7?at.%?Cu–0.33?at.%?Mg alloys containing 0.1 and 0.18?at.%?Ag, but not in the same Al–Cu–Mg alloy without Ag.