Systematic Study of Polycrystalline Flow during In Situ Tension Test by SEM of Pb-50%Sn at Room Temperature

Microstructural evolution during in situ tension test at constant crosshead velocity of 0.38 mm/min, at room temperature of polycrystalline Pb-50%Sn alloy are reported. Direct observation during four steps of deformation, with a total deformation (εT) of 0.684, allows establish that the trajectories of grains during irreversible deformation process obey a sigmoidal motion. Such behaviour is related with dynamic recrystallization phenomenology and associated with grain boundary sliding between neighbouring grains and subsequent cavitation in order to allow emerging grains from the inner volume to free surface of Pb-50%Sn, as the main mechanisms of superplastic flow. The curve of true stress versus true deformation presented several fluctuations during irreversible deformation process in a similar way of the Portevin Le Chatelier effect. Also is observed in the early steps of plastic flow, hardening deformation, up to 27 MPa associated with the maximum stress. The activation energy values for polycrystalline flow, calculated in this work are between 67.5 to 68.07 kJ/mol and there are in a closed agreement with the activation energy of 65.7 kJ/mol, for grain boundary diffusion.