The presence of three-dimensional voids in quenched metals has long been suspected, and voids have indeed been observed directly in a number of metals. These include aluminum, platinum, and copper, silver and gold. Attempts at the production of observable quenched-in defects in nickel have been generally unsuccessful, so the present work was initiated in order to establish the conditions under which such defects may be formed.Electron beam zone-melted polycrystalline nickel foils, 99.997% pure, were quenched from 1420°C in an evacuated chamber into a bath containing a silicone diffusion pump fluid . The pressure in the chamber at the quenching temperature was less than 10-5 Torr . With an oil quench such as this, the cooling rate is approximately 5,000°C/second above 400°C; below 400°C, the cooling curve has a long tail. Therefore, the quenched specimens are aged in place for several seconds at a temperature which continuously approaches the ambient temperature of the system.
