Deformation of Poly-l-lactid acid (PLLA) under Uniaxial Tension and Plane-Strain Compression

The ability of PLLA, either amorphous or semicrystalline, to plastic deformation to large strain was investigated in a wide temperature range (Td = 70–140 °C). Active deformation mechanisms have been identified and compared for two different deformation modes—uniaxial drawing and plane-strain compression. The initially amorphous PLLA was capable of significant deformation in both tension and plane-strain compression. In contrast, the samples of crystallized PLLA were found brittle in tensile, whereas they proved to be ductile and capable of high-strain deformation when deformed in plane-strain compression. The main deformation mechanism identified in amorphous PLLA was the orientation of chains due to plastic flow, followed by strain-induced crystallization occurring at the true strain above e = 0.5. The oriented chains in amorphous phase were then transformed into oriented mesophase and/or oriented crystals. An upper temperature limit for mesophase formation was found below Td = 90 °C. The amount of mesophase formed in this process did not exceed 5 wt.%. An additional mesophase fraction was generated at high strains from crystals damaged by severe deformation. After the formation of the crystalline phase, further deformation followed the mechanisms characteristic for the semicrystalline polymer. Interlamellar slip supported by crystallographic chain slip has been identified as the major deformation mechanism in semicrystalline PLLA. It was found that the contribution of crystallographic slip increased notably with the increase in the deformation temperature. The most probable active crystallographic slip systems were (010)[001], (100)[001] or (110)[001] slip systems operating along the chain direction. At high temperatures (Td = 115–140 °C), the α→β crystal transformation was additionally observed, leading to the formation of a small fraction of β crystals.

Effect of SFE on the evolution of crystallographic texture in Cu-Zn alloys subjected to severe plastic deformation

Within the framework of experimental investigations and computer modeling using the viscoplastic self-consistent (VPSC) model of a material plastic flow, the regularities of preferential orientations formation were established, the proportion of certain texture components was estimated, and existing slip systems (SS) and twinning systems (TS) were identified for equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP) of copper alloys depending on the stacking fault energy (SFE).

Understanding the Role of β Recrystallization on β Microtexture Evolution in Hot Processing of a Near-β Titanium Alloy (Ti-10V-2Fe-3Al)

The present study evaluated the β recrystallization behavior and deformation microtexture evolution of TB6 titanium alloy (Ti-10V-2Fe-3Al) taking place during isothermal compression. The hot deformation tests were carried out in the temperature range below the β phase transition temperature and spanned a wide strain rate range of 0.0001~1 s−1. Microstructure evolution on β phase, including its recrystallization behavior and microtexture formation, is sensitive to the strain rates, whereas the average grain size of equiaxed α phase exhibits a slight increase with the strain rate decreasing. Moreover, β recrystallization is not homogeneous among the prior β grains, and is characterized by: (I) enriched β sub-grains, (II) sporadically or chain-like distributed recrystallized β grains with a grain size far less than the prior β grains, and (III) wave-shaped β grain boundaries. The β recrystallization is inadequate and its orientation takes on the inheritance characteristic, which makes the β microtexture significant after deformation. At a lower strain rate, the high activity of the {11−2}<111> and {12−3}<111> slip systems induced the crystal rotation around <101>, but such crystal rotation did not destroy the Burgers orientation relationship (BOR), which could be accounted for by the generation of a strong microtexture of <001>//RD. The divergences on β recrystallization fraction, the operation of slip systems, and initial crystal orientations explain the different microtexture components with varied intensities under different deformation conditions.

Dislocation structure of deformed olivine single crystals from conventional EBSD maps

Dislocations, linear defects in a crystalline lattice characterized by their slip systems, can provide a record of grain internal deformation. Comprehensive examination of this record has been limited by intrinsic limitations of the observational methods. Transmission electron microscopy reveals individual dislocations, but images only a few square $$\upmu$$ μ m of sample. Oxidative decoration requires involved sample preparation and has uncertainties in detection of all dislocations and their types. The possibility of mapping dislocation density and slip systems by conventional (Hough-transform based) EBSD is investigated here with naturally and experimentally deformed San Carlos olivine single crystals. Geometry and dislocation structures of crystals deformed in orientations designed to activate particular slip systems were previously analyzed by TEM and oxidative decoration. A curvature tensor is calculated from changes in orientation of the crystal lattice, which is inverted to calculate density of geometrically necessary dislocations with the Matlab Toolbox MTEX. Densities of individual dislocation types along with misorientation axes are compared to orientation change measured on the deformed crystals. After filtering (denoising), noise floor and calculated dislocation densities are comparable to those reported from high resolution EBSD mapping. For samples deformed in [110]c and [011]c orientations EBSD mapping confirms [100](010) and [001](010), respectively, as the dominant slip systems. EBSD mapping thus enables relatively efficient observation of dislocation structures associated with intracrystalline deformation, both distributed, and localized at sub-boundaries, over substantially larger areas than has previously been possible. This will enable mapping of dislocation structures in both naturally and experimentally deformed polycrystals, with potentially new insights into deformation processes in Earth’s upper mantle.

Orientation Dependence of High Cycle Fatigue Behavior of a Oriented Single-Crystal Nickel-Based Superalloy

High cycle fatigue failure has been recognized as one of the major forms of failure of aero-engine blades. This paper presents the high cycle fatigue testing of a Ni-based superalloy near <111> orientation at 800 °C. The fracture morphology and dislocation configuration were analyzed in detail by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to indicate the influence of orientation deviation degree on the high cycle fatigue properties. The results show that the orientation deviation significantly affects the initiation of the slip systems, which is closely related to fatigue performance. The best fatigue life appears on the precise <111> orientation, and the deformation behavior is controlled by multiple sets of equivalent <110> {111} slip systems. With the increase in orientation deviation, the fatigue properties of the alloy degenerate significantly. On the boundary of <111>-<001>, two groups of <110> {111} slip systems with the maximum Schmid shear stress dominate the deformation behavior. On the other hand, on the <111>-<011> boundary, the formation of stacking faults and rapid cutting of γ’ precipitates results in a negative effect on the fatigue life.

Microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of FeCoCrNiCu high entropy alloys: a microstructure-based constitutive model and a molecular dynamics simulation study

High entropy alloys (HEAs) attract remarkable attention due to the excellent mechanical performance. However, the origins of their high strength and toughness compared with those of the traditional alloys are still hardly revealed. Here, using a microstructure-based constitutive model and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation, we investigate the unique mechanical behavior and microstructure evolution of FeCoCrNiCu HEAs during the indentation. Due to the interaction between the dislocation and solution, the high dislocation density in FeCoCrNiCu leads to strong work hardening. Plentiful slip systems are stimulated, leading to the good plasticity of FeCoCrNiCu. The plastic deformation of FeCoCrNiCu is basically affected by the motion of dislocation loops. The prismatic dislocation loops inside FeCoCrNiCu are formed by the dislocations with the Burgers vectors of $${a \over 6}\left[ {\bar 11\bar 2} \right]$$ a 6 [ 1 ¯ 1 2 ¯ ] and $${a \over 6}\left[ {1\bar 12} \right]$$ a 6 [ 1 1 ¯ 2 ] , which interact with each other, and then emit along the 〈111〉 slip direction. In addition, the mechanical properties of FeCoCrNiCu HEA can be predicted by constructing the microstructure-based constitutive model, which is identified according to the evolution of the dislocation density and the stress-strain curve. Strong dislocation strengthening and remarkable lattice distortion strengthening occur in the deformation process of FeCoCrNiCu, and improve the strength. Therefore, the origins of high strength and high toughness in FeCoCrNiCu HEAs come from lattice distortion strengthening and the more activable slip systems compared with Cu. These results accelerate the discovery of HEAs with excellent mechanical properties, and provide a valuable reference for the industrial application of HEAs.

Strain hardening recovery mediated by coherent precipitates in lightweight steel

We investigated the effect of κ-carbide precipitates on the strain hardening behavior of aged Fe–Mn-Al-C alloys by microstructure analysis. The κ-carbides-strengthened Fe–Mn-Al-C alloys exhibited a superior strength-ductility balance enabled by the recovery of the strain hardening rate. To understand the relation between the κ-carbides and strain hardening recovery, dislocation gliding in the aged alloys during plastic deformation was analyzed through in situ tensile transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The in situ TEM results confirmed the particle shearing mechanism leads to planar dislocation gliding. During deformation of the 100 h-aged alloy, some gliding dislocations were strongly pinned by the large κ-carbide blocks and were prone to cross-slip, leading to the activation of multiple slip systems. The abrupt decline in the dislocation mean free path was attributed to the activation of multiple slip systems, resulting in the rapid saturation of the strain hardening recovery. It is concluded that the planar dislocation glide and sequential activation of slip systems are key to induce strain hardening recovery in polycrystalline metals. Thus, if a microstructure is designed such that dislocations glide in a planar manner, the strain hardening recovery could be utilized to obtain enhanced mechanical properties of the material.

Room-temperature deformation of single crystals of ZrB2 and TiB2 with the hexagonal AlB2 structure investigated by micropillar compression

The plastic deformation behavior of single crystals of two transition-metal diborides, ZrB2 and TiB2 with the AlB2 structure has been investigated at room temperature as a function of crystal orientation and specimen size by micropillar compression tests. Although plastic flow is not observed at all for their bulk single crystals at room temperature, plastic flow is successfully observed at room temperature by the operation of slip on {1$${\bar{1}}$$ 1 ¯ 00}<11$${\bar{2}}$$ 2 ¯ 3> in ZrB2 and by the operation of slip on {1$${\bar{1}}$$ 1 ¯ 00}<0001> and {1$${\bar{1}}$$ 1 ¯ 00}<11$${\bar{2}}$$ 2 ¯ 0> in TiB2. Critical resolve shear stress values at room temperature are very high, exceeding 1 GPa for all observed slip systems; 3.01 GPa for {1$${\bar{1}}$$ 1 ¯ 00}<11$${\bar{2}}$$ 2 ¯ 3> slip in ZrB2 and 1.72 GPa and 5.17 GPa, respectively for {1$${\bar{1}}$$ 1 ¯ 00}<0001> and {1$${\bar{1}}$$ 1 ¯ 00}<11$${\bar{2}}$$ 2 ¯ 0> slip in TiB2. The identified operative slip systems and their CRSS values are discussed in comparison with those identified in the corresponding bulk single crystals at high temperatures and those inferred from micro-hardness anisotropy in the early studies.