Mechanical properties of nanocrystalline materials

Nanocrystalline metals--with grain sizes of less than 100 nm--have strengths exceeding those of coarse-grained and even alloyed metals, and are thus expected to have many applications. For example, pure nanocrystalline Cu (refs 1-7) has a yield strength in excess of 400 MPa, which is six times higher than that of coarse-grained Cu. But nanocrystalline materials often exhibit low tensile ductility at room temperature, which limits their practical utility. The elongation to failure is typically less than a few per cent; the regime of uniform deformation is even smaller. Here we describe a thermomechanical treatment of Cu that results in a bimodal grain size distribution, with micrometre-sized grains embedded inside a matrix of nanocrystalline and ultrafine (<300 nm) grains. The matrix grains impart high strength, as expected from an extrapolation of the Hall-Petch relationship. Meanwhile, the inhomogeneous microstructure induces strain hardening mechanisms that stabilize the tensile deformation, leading to a high tensile ductility--65% elongation to failure, and 30% uniform elongation. We expect that these results will have implications in the development of tough nanostructured metals for forming operations and high-performance structural applications including microelectromechanical and biomedical systems.

/pdf/high-tensile-ductility-in-a-nanostructured-metal-siwm61h9tg.pdf

High tensile ductility in a nanostructured metal.

It is well known that plastic deformation induced by conventional forming methodssuch as rolling, drawing or extrusion can significantly increase the strength of metalsHowever, this increase is usually accompanied by a loss of ductility. For example, Fig.1 shows that with increasing plastic deformation, the yield strength of Cu and Almonotonically increases while their elongation to failure (ductility) decreases. Thesame trend is also true for other metals and alloys. Here we report an extraordinarycombination of high strength and high ductility produced in metals subject to severeplastic deformation (SPD). We believe that this unusual mechanical behavior is causedby the unique nanostructures generated by SPD processing. The combination ofultrafine grain size and high-density dislocations appears to enable deformation by newmechanisms. This work demonstrates the possibility of tailoring the microstructures ofmetals and alloys by SPD to obtain both high strength and high ductility. Materialswith such desirable mechanical properties are very attractive for advanced structuralapplications.

https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0884291400060143

Paradox of strength and ductility in metals processed by severe plastic deformation

Three strategies to achieve uniform tensile deformation in a nanostructured metal

Here we present a perspective on heterogeneous materials, a new class of materials possessing superior combinations of strength and ductility that are not accessible to their homogeneous counterpar...

https://tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/21663831.2017.1343208

Heterogeneous materials: a new class of materials with unprecedented mechanical properties

Ultrafine-grained (UFG) Ti samples have been prepared using equal channel angular pressing followed by cold rolling and annealing. The deformation behavior of these materials, including strain hardening, strain rate dependence of flow stress, deformation/failure mode, and tensile necking instability, have been systematically characterized. The findings are compared with those for conventional coarse-grained Ti and used to explain the limited tensile ductility observed so far for UFG or nanocrystalline metals.

Y. M. Wang

Papers

Deformation behavior and plastic instabilities of ultrafine-grained titanium

Microstructure and Tribological Properties of FeCoCrNi High-Entropy Alloy Coatings Fabricated by Atmospheric Plasma Spraying