Showing papers on "Grain size published in 1999"

Microstructural evolution of 6063 aluminum during friction-stir welding

Abstract: The microstructural distribution associated with a hardness profile in a friction-stir-welded, age-hardenable 6063 aluminum alloy has been characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and orientation imaging microscopy (OIM). The friction-stir process produces a softened region in the 6063 Al weld. Frictional heating and plastic flow during friction-stir welding create fine recrystallized grains in the weld zone and recovered grains in the thermomechanically affected zone. The hardness profile depends greatly on the precipitate distribution and only slightly on the grain size. The softened region is characterized by dissolution and growth of the precipitates during the welding. Simulated weld thermal cycles with different peak temperatures have shown that the precipitates are dissolved at temperatures higher than 675 K and that the density of the strengthening precipitate was reduced by thermal cycles lower than 675 K. A comparison between the thermal cycles and isothermal aging has suggested precipitation sequences in the softened region during friction-stir welding.

Atomic-scale simulations of the mechanical deformation of nanocrystalline metals

Abstract: Nanocrystalline metals, ie, metals in which the grain size is in the nanometer range, have a range of technologically interesting properties including increased hardness and yield strength We present atomic-scale simulations of the plastic behavior of nanocrystalline copper The simulations show that the main deformation mode is sliding in the grain boundaries through a large number of uncorrelated events, where a few atoms (or a few tens of atoms) slide with respect to each other Little dislocation activity is seen in the grain interiors The localization of the deformation to the grain boundaries leads to a hardening as the grain size is increased (reverse Hall-Petch effect), implying a maximum in hardness for a grain size above the ones studied here We investigate the effects of varying temperature, strain rate, and porosity, and discuss the relation to recent experiments At increasing temperatures the material becomes softer in both the plastic and elastic regime Porosity in the samples result in a softening of the material; this may be a significant effect in many experiments

Grain Boundary Migration in Metals: Thermodynamics, Kinetics, Applications

Abstract: Thermodynamics of Grain Boundaries Introductory Remarks Thermodynamics of Surfaces Experiments Applications of Grain Boundary Thermodynamics The Equilibrium Shape of Grain Boundaries Structure of Grain Boundaries Terminology and Definitions Atomic Structure of Grain Boundaries Grain Boundary Motion Fundamentals Driving Forces for Grain Boundary Migration Drag Effects During Grain Boundary Motion Measurement of Grain Boundary Mobility Experimental Results Effect of Wetting Phase Transitions on Grain Boundary Migration Compensation Effect in Grain Boundary Motion Mechanisms of Grain Boundary Migration Thermodynamics and Kinetics of Connected Grain Boundaries Microstructural Elements of Polycrystals Thermodynamics of Triple Junctions Motion of a Grain Boundary System with Triple Junctions Triple Junctions Motion in the Presence of Impurities Experimental Investigations of Triple Junction Motion Triple Junction Drag and Grain Growth in 2D Polycrystals Grain Growth in 3D Systems Kinetics of Grain Growth Inhibited by Vacancy Generation Computer Simulation of Grain Boundary Motion Introduction Driving Force Concepts Migration of [001] Twist Grain Boundaries Motion of Tilt Boundaries Compensation Effect Comparison with Experiments Grain Boundary Diffusion Atomic Mechanisms Simulation of Triple Junction Motion Applications Characterization of Microstructure and Texture Recrystallization and Grain Growth On Precipitation Controlled Grain Size Mechanisms on Retardation of Grain Growth Grain Boundary Junction Engineering Appendices Solutions References

Crystallite coalescence: A mechanism for intrinsic tensile stresses in thin films

Abstract: We examined the stress associated with crystallite coalescence during the initial stages of growth in thin polycrystalline films with island growth morphology. As growing crystallites contacted each other at their bases, the side-walls zipped together until a balance was reached between the energy associated with eliminating surface area, creating a grain boundary and straining the film. Our estimate for the resulting strain depends only on interfacial free energies, elastic properties, and grain size and predicts large tensile stresses in agreement with experimental results. We also discuss possible stress relaxation mechanisms that can occur during film growth subsequent to the coalescence event.

Raman spectra of CuO nanocrystals

Abstract: CuO nanoparticles were successfully prepared by a one-step solid-state reaction under ambient conditions. Three pellet samples with different grain sizes were obtained by annealing at high temperature. The room temperature Raman spectra of these samples show that as the grain size decreases, the Raman peaks shift to lower wavenumber and become broader owing to size effects. The dependences of the Raman spectra on the wavelength of the excitation laser and temperature were also investigated. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Influence of grain size and stacking-fault energy on deformation twinning in fcc metals

Abstract: This article investigates the microstructural variables influencing the stress required to produce deformation twins in polycrystalline fcc metals. Classical studies on fcc single crystals have concluded that the deformation-twinning stress has a parabolic dependence on the stacking-fault energy (SFE) of the metal. In this article, new data are presented, indicating that the SFE has only an indirect effect on the twinning stress. The results show that the dislocation density and the homogeneous slip length are the most relevant microstructural variables that directly influence the twinning stress in the polycrystal. A new criterion for the initiation of deformation twinning in polycrystalline fcc metals at low homologous temperatures has been proposed as (σ tw −σ 0)/G=C(d/b)A, where σ tw is the deformation twinning stress, σ 0 is the initial yield strength, G is the shear modulus, d is the average homogeneous slip length, b is the magnitude of the Burger’s vector, and C and A are constants determined to have values of 0.0004 and −0.89, respectively. The role of the SFE was observed to be critical in building the necessary dislocation density while maintaining relatively large homogeneous slip lengths.

Review Processing and mechanical properties of fine-grained magnesium alloys

Abstract: Magnesium alloys are promising light structural materials. The present paper focuses on fine-grained magnesium-based materials. Grain refinement is attained by hot working without additional treatments. Also, a very small grain size of less than 1 μm is obtained by equal channel angular extrusion. A good combination of high strength and high ductility at room temperature is attained by grain refinement. Furthermore, fine-grained magnesium-based materials exhibit superplastic behavior at high stain rates (≥10−1 s−1) or low temperatures (≤473 K). These point out the importance of grain refinement to process magnesium-based materials with excellent mechanical properties.

Mechanisms for microstructure evolution in electroplated copper thin films near room temperature

Abstract: We present a model which accounts for the dramatic evolution in the microstructure of electroplated copper thin films near room temperature. Microstructure evolution occurs during a transient period of hours following deposition, and includes an increase in grain size, changes in preferred crystallographic texture, and decreases in resistivity, hardness, and compressive stress. The model is based on grain boundary energy in the fine-grained as-deposited films providing the underlying energy density which drives abnormal grain growth. As the grain size increases from the as-deposited value of 0.05–0.1 μm up to several microns, the model predicts a decreasing grain boundary contribution to electron scattering which allows the resistivity to decrease by tens of a percent to near-bulk values, as is observed. Concurrently, as the volume of the dilute grain boundary regions decreases, the stress is shown to change in the tensile direction by tens of a mega pascal, consistent with the measured values. The small ...

Structure and Mechanical Behavior of Bulk Nanocrystalline Materials

Abstract: The reduction of grain size to the nanometer range (˜2-100 nm) has led to many interesting materials properties, including those involving mechanical behavior. In the case of metals, the Hall-Petch equation, which relates the yield stress to the inverse square root of the grain size, predicts great increases in strength with grain refinement. On the other hand, theory indicates that the high volume fraction of interfacial regions leads to increased deformation by grain-boundary sliding in metals with grain size in the low end of the nanocrystalline range. Nanocrystalline ceramics also have desirable properties. Chief among these are lower sintering temperatures and enhanced strain to failure. These two properties acting in combination allow for some unique applications, such as low-temperature diffusion bonding (the direct joining of ceramics to each other using moderate temperatures and pressures). Mechanical properties sometimes are affected by the fact that ceramics in a fine-grained form are stable in a different (usually higher pressure) phase than that which is considered “normal” for the ceramic. To the extent that the mechanical properties of a ceramic are dependent on its crystal-lographic structure, these differences will become evident at the smaller size scales.It is uncertain how deformation takes place in very fine-grained nanocrystalline materials. It has been recognized for some time that the Hall-Petch relationship, which usually is explained on the basis of dislocation pileups at grain boundaries, must break down at grain sizes such that a grain cannot support a pileup. Even some of the basic assumptions of dislocation theory may no longer be appropriate in this size regime. Recently considerable progress has been made in simulating the behavior of extremely fine-grained metals under stress using molecular-dynamics techniques. Molecular-dynamics (MD) simulations of deformation in nanophase Ni and Cu were carried out in the temperature range of 300–500 K, at constant applied uniaxial tensile stresses between 0.05 GPa and 1.5 GPa, on samples with average grain sizes ranging from 3.4 nm to 12 nm.

Grain refinement of aluminum alloys: Part II. Confirmation of, and a mechanism for, the solute paradigm

Abstract: In Part I of this article, the literature underpinning both the nucleant and solute paradigms was explained, and the validity of the paradigm shift toward the solute paradigm, as a more complete understanding of grain refinement, was presented. In this Part II, experimental work is presented which confirms the validity of the solute paradigm. TiB2 particle additions were found to refine the columnar zone of pure aluminum; however, an equiaxed structure was only observed when a small amount of titanium was added as solute. The potency of nucleant particles was confirmed by thermal analysis, which showed that additions of TiB2 to pure aluminium removed the nucleation undercooling. Upon the addition of more TiB2 particles and titanium as solute, the grain size continued to decrease until an apparent minimum grain size was achieved, past which little further refinement occurs. That the segregating ability of solute elements in general is essential for grain refinement, and not only that of titanium in particular, was confirmed by comparison of the Al-2Si and Al-0.05Ti systems. Finally, a mechanism of grain refinement is presented that incorporates both nucleant particles and solute segregation as essential for effective grain refinement. The solute is required to form a constitutionally undercooled zone in front of the growing solid/liquid interface to facilitate further nucleation on the substrates present. The potency of the nucleants dictates the probability of nucleation occurring for a given degree of constitutional undercooling.

Effects of Grain Size on the Initiation and Propagation Thresholds of Stress-induced Brittle Fractures

Abstract: The microstructure of rock is known to influence its strength and deformation characteristics. This paper presents the results of a laboratory investigation into the effects of grain size on the initiation and propagation thresholds of stress-induced brittle fracturing in crystalline rocks with similar mineralogical compositions, but with three different grain sizes. Strain gauge and acoustic emission measurements were used to aid in the identification and characterization of the different stages of crack development in uniaxial compression. Results indicate that grain size had only a minor effect on the stress at which new cracks initiated. Crack initiation thresholds were found to be more dependent on the strength of the constituent minerals. Grain size did have a significant effect, however, in controlling the behaviour of the cracks once they began to propagate. The evidence suggests that longer grain boundaries and larger intergranular cracks, resulting from increased grain size, provide longer paths of weakness for growing cracks to propagate along. This promoted degradation of material strength once the longer cracks began to coalesce and interact. Thus, rock strength was found to decrease with increasing grain size, not by inducing crack initiation at lower stresses, but through a process where longer cracks propagating along longer planes of weakness coalesced at lower stresses.

On the applicability of the x-ray diffraction line profile analysis in extracting grain size and microstrain in nanocrystalline materials

Abstract: Measurements of x-ray diffraction (XRD) profiles have been performed on commercially pure Fe and Al powders, cryomilled Fe–3 wt.% Al powders, cold pressed (CP) pure Fe and Al, hot pressed (HP) and hot isostatically pressed (HIP) Fe–3 wt.% Al. Scherrer equation (SE), integral breadth analysis (IBA), and single-line approximation (SLA) methods have been employed to extract grain size and microstrain. The results demonstrate that, in the case of the cryomilled nanocrystalline Fe–3 wt.% Al powders, all these XRD techniques yielded reasonable, consistent grain size results. However, discrepancies were found in cold pressed (CP-Fe), hot pressed (HP-Fe–3 wt.% Al), and hot isostatically pressed (HIP-Fe–3 wt.% Al) samples. TEM imaging revealed the presence of a certain density of dislocations inside the grains in the HP-Fe–3 wt.% Al and HIP-Fe–3 wt.% Al, which is thought to be partly or fully responsible for the observed discrepancies.

Strain gradient crystal plasticity: size-dependentdeformation of bicrystals

Abstract: The role of the grain boundary in influencing the deformation of a bicrystal isexplored using a rate-dependent crystal formulation of the Fleck–Hutchinson strain gradientplasticity theory. The physical basis of the theory is the elevated strengthening of a slip systemdue to geometrically necessary dislocations, associated with spatial gradients of slip. The theoryis implemented within the finite element framework and is used to study the deformation of abicrystal under in-plane shear loading. Contrary to classical scale-independent crystal plasticitytheories, the strain gradient theory predicts that the deformation state depends strongly upongrain size. Strain gradient effects are pronounced within a narrow layer at the grain boundary of abicrystal, and a significant grain-size dependence of the yield strength is predicted.

Magnetic properties of nanostructured CuFe2O4

Abstract: The structural evolution and magnetic properties of nanostructured copper ferrite, CuFe2O4, have been investigated by x-ray diffraction, Mossbauer spectroscopy, and magnetization measurements. Nanometre-sized CuFe2O4 particles with a partially inverted spinel structure were synthesized by high-energy ball milling in an open container with grain sizes ranging from 9 to 61 nm. Superparamagnetic relaxation effects have been observed in milled samples at room temperature by Mossbauer and magnetization measurements. At 15 K, the average hyperfine field of CuFe2O4 decreases with decreasing average grain size while the coercive force, shift of the hysteresis loop, magnetic hardness, and saturation magnetization at 4.2 K increase with decreasing average grain size. At 295 K the coercive-field dependence on the average grain size is described, with particles showing superparamagnetic relaxation effects. At 4.2 K the relationship between the coercive field and average grain size can be attributed to the change of the effective anisotropy constant of the particles. The interface anisotropy of nanostructured CuFe2O4 is found to be about 1.8(1) × 105 erg cm-3. Although spin canting was present, approximately 20% enhancement of the saturation magnetization in CuFe2O4 nanoparticles was observed, which could be explained by a cation redistribution induced by milling. The high-field magnetization irreversibility and shift of the hysteresis loop detected in our samples have been assigned to a spin-disordered phase, which has a spin-freezing temperature of approximately 50 K.

Effects of sediment supply on surface textures of gravel‐bed rivers

Abstract: Using previously published data from flume studies, we test a new approach for quantifying the effects of sediment supply (i.e., bed material supply) on surface grain size of equilibrium gravel channels. Textural response to sediment supply is evaluated relative to a theoretical prediction of competent median grain size (D9 50). We find that surface median grain size (D50) varies inversely with sediment supply rate and systematically approaches the competent value (D9) at low equilibrium transport rates. Furthermore, equilibrium transport rate is a power function of the difference between applied and critical shear stresses and is therefore a power function of the difference between competent and observed median grain sizes (D9 and D50). Consequently, we propose that the difference between predicted and observed median grain sizes can be used to determine sediment supply rate in equilibrium channels. Our analysis framework collapses data from different studies toward a single relationship between sediment supply rate and surface grain size. While the approach appears promising, we caution that it has been tested only on a limited set of laboratory data and a narrow range of channel conditions.

Electrical and defect thermodynamic properties of nanocrystalline titanium dioxide

Abstract: The electrical properties of dense nanocrystalline TiO2 ceramics with an average grain size of 35 nm were investigated by impedance spectroscopy and compared with a coarsened material with micron size grains. The nanocrystalline ceramics show an uncommon domain of ionic conductivity at high oxygen pressures and a steep increase of electronic conductivity at low oxygen pressures. These results are discussed in terms of defect chemical models. The enthalpy of reduction of the nanocrystalline TiO2 was deduced to be significantly lower than that of the coarsened material. This may be related to lower defect formation energies at interface sites.

Thermal stability of ultrafine-grained aluminum in the presence of Mg and Zr additions

Abstract: Superplastic deformation occurs at high temperatures and requires the presence of a very small grain size. Experiments demonstrate that equal-channel angular (ECA) pressing is capable of introducing ultrafine grain sizes in pure Al, Al–Mg and Al–Zr alloys, with grain sizes lying in the sub-micrometer range for the alloys. It is shown by static annealing that these ultrafine grain sizes are not stable in pure Al and the Al–Mg alloys at elevated temperatures but in the Al–Zr alloys the grains remain small up to temperatures of ≈600 K.

Influence of stacking fault energy on microstructural development in equal-channel angular pressing

Abstract: Equal-channel angular (ECA) pressing is a procedure having the capability of introducing an ultrafine grain size into a material. Experiments were conducted to examine the effect of the low stacking fault energy in pure Cu on microstructural development during ECA pressing at room temperature. The results show that the low 0stacking fault energy and the consequent low rate of recovery lead to a very slow evolution of the microstructure during pressing. Ultimately, a stable grain size of −0.27 μm was established in pure Cu but the microstructure was not fully homogeneous even after pressing to a total strain of ∼10. It is shown by static annealing that the as-pressed grains are stable up to ∼400 K, but at higher temperatures there is grain growth. These results lead to the conclusion that a low stacking fault energy is especially favorable for the introduction of an exceptionally small grain size using the ECA pressing procedure.

Structural and magnetic properties of FePt:SiO2 granular thin films

Abstract: Nanocomposite FePt:SiO2 films have been fabricated by annealing the as-deposited FePt/SiO2 multilayers at temperatures from 450 to 650 °C. These films consist of high-anisotropy tetragonal L10 FePt particles embedded in a SiO2 matrix. The structural and magnetic properties of these films were investigated. We have found that coercivity and grain size are highly dependent on the annealing temperature and SiO2 concentration. Films with coercivities in the range from 2 to 8 kOe and grain sizes of 10 nm or less were obtained. These films have considerable potential as high-density magnetic recording media.