Indentation deformation of magnesium orthosilicate single crystals

The variation in the microhardness of the magnesium orthosilicate crystals has been determined using Vicker's microhardness indentor. The length of the rays of dislocation rosettes around the indentation, obtained by etching the indented cleavages have been measured. It is observed that: (i) irrespective of the relative orientation of the indentor and the crystal, the median vents initiated at the sharp indentation edges, (ii) the microhardness of the crystals depends on the applied load, and (iii) the microhardness of the crystal is independent on the duration of loading. The implications are discussed.     

Numerical investigations of anomalous diffusion effects in glasses

A coarse grained non-Markovian lattice model describing the mixed alkali effect (MAE) is presented. This feedback controlled diffusion model allows the qualitative and partially quantitative determination of the dependence on concentration, composition, temperature and frequency of the MAE. In the present contribution we demonstrate the first two properties by numerical investigations and we give some arguments for correctness of the last two statements.     

Indentation crack initiation behavior of vitreous silica glasses containing different hydroxyl concentration

The indentation crack initiation behavior of eight vitreous silica specimens containing bulk OH concentrations ranging from 0.2 to 754 wt ppm was investigated. A recording microindentation instrument equipped with optical observation and acoustic emission detection was used to study, in situ, the cracking behavior from indentation with a Vickers diamond. No significant differences in the threshold loads for various types of cracking behavior of the specimens were found. In addition, the polishing medium was found to have little influence on the cracking behavior. The lengths of median-radial cracks around indentations varied little between specimens. The Vickers hardness of the specimens measured at 0.98 N ranged from 6.6 ± 0.3 GPa to 7.5 ± 0.7 GPa, and no trend with the OH concentration was apparent. In addition, the Vickers hardness of the specimens measured while under a 9.81 N maximum load (LVH_max), showed little variation, and no apparent trend with the OH concentration.     

A new theoretical description for anomalous birefringence of phase-separated glasses

Theoretical relationships between anomalous birefringence and microstructure of phase-separated glasses are proposed based on light scattering by particles and self-consistent effective-medium theory. A phase-separated and stretched glass generally has positive anomalous birefringence because the positive birefringence produced by form anisotropy of the secondary phase particles is larger than the negative birefringence produced by the distribution anisotropy of the particles. A postpulling heat-treated glass has negative birefringence because the form anisotropy decays and the distribution anisotropy remains. The magnitude of the anomalous birefringence increasesin particle size, particle size distribution variance, volume fraction of secondary phase, and uniaxial load. Results obtained by the theoretical model are consistent with available experimental results.     

Fictive temperature dependence of subcritical crack growth rate of normal glass and anomalous glass

Subcritical crack growth rates of soda–lime–silicate glass, which is a typical normal glass, and silica glass, which is a typical anomalous glass, with different fictive temperatures were measured by the double-cleavage-drilled-compression (DCDC) fracture mechanics technique under both dry and humid atmospheres in order to clarify the effect of the fictive temperature on mechanical strength and fatigue. In the humid atmosphere, the soda–lime–silicate glass with a higher fictive temperature showed a slower crack growth rate than the same glass with a lower fictive temperature while the silica glass with a higher fictive temperature showed a faster crack growth rate than the silica glass with a lower fictive temperature. These results imply that normal glass with a higher fictive temperature is expected to show a higher mechanical strength compared with the same glass with a lower fictive temperature and anomalous glass with a higher fictive temperature is expected to show a lower mechanical strength than the same glass with a lower fictive temperature when tested in ambient air if the flaw size is the same. In the dry atmosphere, the fictive temperature effects on the crack growth rate in both glasses were small and within the experimental error.     

Plastic deformation and fracture in LiF Bicrystals with asymmetric tilt boundary

The peculiarities of plastic deformation and fracture in isoaxial LiF bicrystals with misorientation angle α = 10° and tilt boundary of various asymmetry were experimentally studied by the single slip method. It was found that a number of effects at the boundary, attacked by mixed dislocations, is possible: retardation of dislocations near the boundary and pile-ups formation, dislocation multiplication, accumulation of grain boundary dislocations with differential Burgers vector. Predominance of each or that effect in the process of crack initiation at the definite misorientation angle depends on the mutual orientation of slip planes in the neighbouring grains and on the edge and screw component part in the dislocations, attacking the boundary. The main role, apparently, belongs to dislocation pile-ups. Cracks are always nucleated in the boundary, but in the case of strong asymmetry they stretch along cubic planes.     

Effect of strain rates on the fracture morphologies of Zr-based bulk metallic glasses

The effect of strain rates from 1 × 10⁻⁴ s⁻¹ to 2 × 10³ s⁻¹ on tensile fracture morphologies of Zr_52.5Al₁₀Ni₁₀Cu₁₅Be_12.5, Zr₆₅Al₁₀Ni₁₀Cu₁₅, and Zr_52.5Al₁₀Ni_14.6Cu_17.9Ti₅ bulk amorphous alloys was investigated by scanning electron microscopy. The results show that the tensile fracture morphologies of three compositions of bulk amorphous alloys are dependent on strain rate. At low strain rates, the tensile fracture surface morphology of Zr-based bulk metallic glasses presents cleavage veins. However, the morphology will become microvoid-coalescence dimples when the strain rate is high enough.     

Inference of Mechanical Properties from Instrumented Depth Sensing Indentation at Tiny Loads and Indentation Depths

Different hardness measures as Vickers, Brinell and Meyer hardness are discussed with respect to their physical interpretation. Meyer hardness is found to be best suited as a measure of plastic properties. The outline of a depth sensing nanoindentation experiment is described, and particular emphasis is given to the correct deduction of the contact area from indenter penetration data. Experimental complications, as phase transformations, finite machine compliance, thermal and pieco drift, and sample creep are detailed with, and their impact on the calculation of hardness and elastic modulus is shown. Furthermore the onset of yielding in dependence on critical load, indenter curvature and yield strength is discussed.     

Indentation-induced microhardness changes in glasses: Possible fictive temperature increase caused by plastic deformation

The microhardness around a large indentation was measured for different types of glasses. In soda-lime silicate glass, a typical normal glass, the region in the immediate vicinity of the indentation was found to exhibit a lower hardness than the region far removed from the indentation. In silica glass, a typical anomalous glass, the region in the immediate vicinity of a large indentation was found to exhibit a higher hardness than the region far removed from the indentation. Asahi less brittle glass, an intermediate glass between normal and anomalous glasses, was found to exhibit little change in hardness in the vicinity of the large indentation. These findings can be explained by a deformation-induced fictive temperature increase leading to a lower hardness for soda-lime silicate glass and a higher hardness for silica glass.     

Structure and properties of Ge2.5PSx glasses

Ge_2.5PS_x glasses were studied with a combination of Raman spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance, and neutron diffraction. From these experiments the distribution of bonding configurations was determined, and used to explain the compositional dependence of the index of refraction and the glass transition temperature. On reducing the sulfur content of these glasses below the stoichiometric amount, the sulfur deficit is accommodated by the progressive loss of the non-bridging sulfur of SPS_3/2 groups, followed by the conversion of the resultant PS_3/2 groups into species such as P₄S₃ characterized by P-P bonding. The presence of metal-metal bonds involving germanium, found in samples with the lowest sulfur content, was found to be the most important structural feature in determining the optical response.     

Indentation response of glass with temperature

The mechanical response of different glasses to a Vickers indentor has been investigated between room temperature and T_g+50 °C. The permanent deformation, from which hardness is estimated, as well as the brittle fracture characteristics, allowing for an evaluation of the fracture toughness, were measured and analysed. Comparison between a standard float glass and advanced glasses such as chalcogenide (with mainly covalent bonding) and metallic glasses was made to get a more general insight into high temperature indentation behaviour. As temperature increases, the glass response becomes more and more time-dependent, and in the vicinity of T_g the permanent deformation was observed to increase rapidly for all glasses. Further, while the standard float glass showed an enhanced apparent toughness at elevated temperatures due to a brittle to ductile transition, almost no change in apparent toughness was revealed in the GeAsSe glass emphasizing the time-dependent response of glass at elevated temperature.     

Structure and properties of Bi2O3---BaO---CuO glasses

The glass-forming region in the BiO_1.5---BaO---CuO system was determined, and the structure and crystallization of the glasses were investigated and compared to glasses containing CaO or SrO in place of BaO. It has been found that the glass-forming region in this system is wider than those in the BiO_1.5---CaO---CuO and BiO_1.5---SrO---CuO systems. BaBiO_2.77 was preferentially formed in the first stage of crystallization at all glass compositions. It is suggested that the Ba²⁺ ions may preferentially occupy the sites near BiO₆ octahedra, while the Ca²⁺ ions in BiO_1.5---CaO---CuO glasses may not have a site preference with respect to the BiO₆ octahedra.     

The elastic properties of some phosphate/vanadate glasses

The elastic constants of 7 phosphate/vanadate glasses, containing TiO₂, Na₂O and a range of concentrations of CuO, have been measured from 4.2 to 300 K. The pressure variation of the elastic constants has also been measured and has been used to calculate the low temperature value of the Grüneisen parameter γ_O for these glasses. Analysis of the results and other data has been used to show how TiO₂, Na₂O and CuO may be incorporated in the structure of these P₂O₅/V₂O₅ glasses.     

Crystallization of Al23Te77 glasses

The crystallization of Al₂₃Te₇₇ glasses has been studied by DSC techniques. Two peaks occur, showing an earlier excess Te crystallization and a later one of the remaining amorphous matrix. Isothermal determination of the kinetics is only possible for the second process, so a model for non-isothermic crystallization is developed on the basis of the Avrami theory, which is in agreement with isothermic results. The shift of the crystallization peaks with the scan rate allows knowledge of the activation energy for both processes. Those are found to be 1.9 and 2.8 eV respectively. Fitting of the experimental data with this model also indicates a diffusion mechanism for the Te crystallization and a homogeneous nucleation and growth process for the second stage. Re-scanning of the sample after the completion of the first peak shows a second T_g commonly associated with phase separation. Results are discussed in terms of the studies of structure recently reported.     

Glassy states: Concentration glasses and temperature glasses compared

The behavior of glass-forming systems in the equilibrium state above the glass temperature is still a heavily investigated field. Surprisingly, the behavior of the glass itself is less widely investigated. Even less investigated is the behavior of glass-forming materials in which composition is changed. Here we look at the behavior of glasses after temperature-jumps and compare that behavior with that of glasses subjected to concentration-jumps. Moisture and carbon dioxide are used as the plasticizing environments. Surprisingly, the glass created by jumping (down) to a given final condition via a change in concentration is more stable than that formed by a change in temperature – this in spite of the external condition of temperature and chemical activity (RH or carbon dioxide pressure) being the same. Furthermore, the concentration glass under such conditions has a higher excess volume than the temperature glass and its response does not ‘merge’ with that of the temperature glass, hence, the concentration glass is not the same as a temperature hyperquenched glass.     

Anionic structure and elasticity of Na2O-MgO-SiO2 glasses

The structure and elastic properties of a series of xNa₂O · MgO · 4SiO₂ glasses have been studied using both Raman and Brillouin spectroscopy. Relative to Na₂O-SiO₂ glasses, the maximum abundance for phyllosilicate structural units in the present glasses shows a lag of 0.5 units in the number of non-bridging oxygen per silicon atom (NBO/Si). This phenomenon has been attributed to the decrease in the average coordination number of modifying cations due to the presence of Mg²⁺. It has also been found that the decomposition of both metasilicate and disilicate (dimerized SiO₄) anionic structural units in Na₂O-SiO₂ glasses are enhanced by the addition of MgO. However, the presence of Mg²⁺ does not cause a considerable effect on the decomposition of phyllosilicate structural unit. The acoustic data have revealed that both shear and Young’s moduli of the present glasses decrease with increasing NBO/Si (the variation in bulk modulus is reversed, however). The resistance to shear deformation for the anionic structural units in silicate glasses has been found to decrease in the following order: tectosilicate > phyllosilicate > metasilicate > disilicate > orthosilicate. The relative contribution of the various anionic structural units to the bulk modulus of a glass remains to be determined. The ideal mixing model using Makishima-Mackenzie’s relationship for predicting Young’s modulus is not applicable to the present glasses.     

Glass transition and fragility of Na2O-TeO2 glasses

The heat capacity (C_p) change in the glass transition region for the xNa₂O ·(100−x)TeO₂, mol%, glass forming melts with x=7.5, 11.1, 15.0, 20.0 and 25.0 was measured as a function of heating rate (2, 4, 6, 10 and 15 °C/min) using differential scanning calorimetry. The glass transition properties that have been measured and reported in this paper include the glass transition temperature (T_g), glass transition width (ΔT_g), heat capacities in the glassy and liquid state (C_pg and C_pl) and the activation enthalpy for glass transition (). T_g for these sodium tellurite melts decreased and increased with increasing Na₂O. Values of the ratio C_pl/C_pg ranged between 1.28 and 2.47, and the fragility parameter ranged between 100 and 130, suggesting that these glass forming melts may be classified as intermediate between typical strong and fragile liquids. The viscosity, η, calculated at a few selected temperatures near the glass transition region decreased with increasing Na₂O at any given temperature, which is also expected.