Characterization of superplastic deformation behavior of a fine grain 5083 Al alloy sheet

Superplastic deformation behavior of a fine grain 5083 Al sheet (Al-4.2 pct Mg-0.7 pct Mn, trade name FORMALL 545) has been investigated under uniaxial tension over the temperature range of 500 °C to 565 °C. Strain rate sensitivity values >0.3 were observed over a strain rate range of 3 × 10⁻⁵ s⁻¹ to 1 × 10⁻² s⁻¹, with a maximum value of 0.65 at 5 × 10⁻⁴ s⁻¹ and 565 °C. Tensile elongations at constant strain rate exceeded 400 pct; elongations in the range of 500 to 600 pct were obtained under constant crosshead speed and variable strain rates. A short but rapid prestraining step, prior to a slower superplastic strain rate, provided enhanced tensile elongation at all temperatures. Under the two-step schedule, a maximum tensile elongation of 600 pct was obtained at 550 °C, which was regarded as the optimum superplastic temperature under this condition. Dynamic and static grain growth were examined as functions of time and strain rate. It was observed that the dynamic grain growth rate was appreciably higher than the static growth rate and that the dynamic growth rate based on time was more rapid at the higher strain rate. Cavitation occurred during superplastic flow in this alloy and was a strong function of strain rate and temperature. The degree of cavitation was minimized by superimposition of a 5.5 MPa hydrostatic pressure during deformation, which produced a tensile elongation of 671 pct at 525 °C. R. VERMA, formerly Visiting Scientist, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Michigan     

Microstructural control in hot working of IN-718 superalloy using processing map

The hot-working characteristics of IN-718 are studied in the temperature range 900 °C to 1200 °C and strain rate range 0.001 to 100 s⁻¹ using hot compression tests. Processing maps for hot working are developed on the basis of the strain-rate sensitivity variations with temperature and strain rate and interpreted using a dynamic materials model. The map exhibits two domains of dynamic recrystallization (DRX): one occurring at 950 °C and 0.001 s⁻¹ with an efficiency of power dissipation of 37 pct and the other at 1200 °C and 0.1 s⁻¹ with an efficiency of 40 pct. Dynamic recrystallization in the former domain is nucleated by the δ(Ni₃Nb) precipitates and results in fine-grained microstructure. In the high-temperature DRX domain, carbides dissolve in the matrix and make interstitial carbon atoms available for increasing the rate of dislocation generation for DRX nucleation. It is recommended that IN-718 may be hot-forged initially at 1200 °C and 0.1 s⁻¹ and finish-forged at 950 °C and 0.001 s⁻¹ so that fine-grained structure may be achieved. The available forging practice validates these results from processing maps. At temperatures lower than 1000 °C and strain rates higher than 1 s⁻¹ the material exhibits adiabatic shear bands. Also, at temperatures higher than 1150°C and strain rates more than 1s⁻¹, IN-718 exhibits intercrystalline cracking. Both these regimes may be avoided in hotworking IN-718.     

Superplastic behavior and microstructure evolution in a commercial Al-Mg-Sc alloy subjected to intense plastic straining

A commercial Al-6 pct Mg-0.3 pct Sc-0.3 pct Mn alloy subjected to equal-channel angular extrusion (ECAE) at 325 °C to a total strain of about 16 resulted in an average grain size of about 1 μm. Superplastic properties and microstructural evolution of the alloy were studied in tension at strain rates ranging from 1.4 × 10⁻⁵ to 1.4 s⁻¹ in the temperature interval 250 °C to 500 °C. It was shown that this alloy exhibited superior superplastic properties in the wide temperature range 250 °C to 500 °C at strain rates higher than 10⁻² s⁻¹. The highest elongation to failure of 2000 pct was attained at a temperature of 450 °C and an initial strain rate of 5.6 × 10⁻² s⁻¹ with the corresponding strain rate sensitivity coefficient of 0.46. An increase in temperature from 250 °C to 500 °C resulted in a shift of the optimal strain rate for superplasticity, at which highest ductility appeared, to higher strain rates. Superior superplastic properties of the commercial Al-Mg-Sc alloy are attributed to high stability of ultrafine grain structure under static annealing and superplastic deformation at T ≤ 450 °C. Two different fracture mechanisms were revealed. At temperatures higher than 300 °C or strain rates less than 10⁻¹ s⁻¹, failure took place in a brittle manner almost without necking, and cavitation played a major role in the failure. In contrast, at low temperatures or high strain rates, fracture occurred in a ductile manner by localized necking. The results suggest that the development of ultrafine-grained structure in the commercial Al-Mg-Sc alloy enables superplastic deformation at high strain rates and low temperatures, making the process of superplastic forming commercially attractive for the fabrication of high-volume components.     

Dynamic Strain Aging in New Generation Cr-Mo-V Steel for Reactor Pressure Vessel Applications

A new generation nuclear reactor pressure vessel steel (CrMoV type) having compositional similarities with thick section 3Cr-Mo class of low alloy steels and adapted for nuclear applications was investigated for various manifestations of dynamic strain aging (DSA) using uniaxial tests. The steel investigated herein has undergone quenched and tempered treatment such that a tempered bainite microstructure with Cr-rich carbides was formed. The scope of the uniaxial experiments included tensile tests over a temperature range of 298 K to 873 K (25 °C to 600 °C) at two strain rates (10⁻³ and 10⁻⁴ s⁻¹), as well as suitably designed transient strain rate change tests. The flow behavior displayed serrated flow, negative strain rate sensitivity, plateau behavior of yield, negative temperature (T), and strain rate ( [(e)\dot] ) \left( {\dot{\varepsilon }} \right) dependence of flow stress over the temperature range of 523 K to 673 K (250 °C to 400 °C) and strain rate range of 5 × 10⁻³ s⁻¹ to 3 × 10⁻⁶ s⁻¹, respectively. While these trends attested to the presence of DSA, a lack of work hardening and near negligible impairment of ductility point to the fact that manifestations of embrittling features of DSA were significantly enervated in the new generation pressure vessel steel. In order to provide a mechanistic understanding of these unique combinations of manifestations of DSA in the steel, a new approach for evaluation of responsible solutes from strain rate change tests was adopted. From these experiments and calculation of activation energy by application of vacancy-based models, the solutes responsible for DSA were identified as carbon/nitrogen. The lack of embrittling features of DSA in the steel was rationalized as being due to the beneficial effects arising from the presence of dynamic recovery effects, presence of alloy carbides in the tempered bainitic structure, and formation of solute clusters, all of which hinder the possibilities for strong aging of dislocations.     

Influence of strain rate and temperature on the deformation behavior of a metastable high carbon iron-nickel austenite

Austenitic specimens of Fe-15 wt pct Ni-0.8 wt pct C were tested in tension at strain rates of 10⁻⁴ s⁻¹ and 10⁻¹ s⁻¹ over the temperature range −20°C to 60 °C. The influence of strain rate and temperature on the deformation behavior depended on whether stress-assisted or strain-induced martensitic trans-formation occurred during testing. Under conditions of stress-assisted transformation, the ductility was low and independent of strain rate. However, when strain-induced transformation occurred, the duc-tility increased significantly and the higher strain rate resulted in greater ductility and more transfor-mation. Although the ductility increased continuously with temperature, the amount of strain-induced transformation decreased and no martensite was observed above 40 °C. Microstructural examination showed that the martensite was replaced by intense bands and that these bands contained very fine (111) fcc twins. The twinning resulted in enhanced plasticity by providing an additional mode of deformation as slip became more difficult due to dynamic strain aging at the higher temperature. This study confirms that the substructure following deformation will depend on the proximity of the deformation temperature to theM _s ^σ temperature. At temperatures much greater thanM _s ^σ , austenite twinning will occur, while at temperatures close toM _s ^σ , bcc martensite will form.     

Characterization of hot deformation behavior of brasses using processing maps: Part I. α Brass

The constitutive flow behavior of α brass in the temperature range of 500°C to 850°C and strain rate range of 0.001 to 100 s⁻¹ has been characterized with the help of a power dissipation map generated on the basis of the principles of the Dynamic Materials Model. The map revealed a domain of dynamic recrystallization in the temperature range of 750°C to 850°C and in the strain rate range of 0.001 to 1 s⁻¹, with a maximum efficiency of power dissipation of about 54 pct. The optimum hot working conditions are 850°C and 0.001 s⁻¹, and these match with those generally employed in industrial practice. In the temperature range of 550°C to 750°C and strain rates lower than 0.01 s⁻¹, the efficiency of power dissipation decreases with decreasing strain rate, with its minimum at 650°C. In this regime, solute drag effects similar to dynamic strain aging occur to impair the hot workability. The material undergoes microstructural instabilities at temperatures of 500°C to 650°C and at strain rates of 10 to 100 s⁻¹, as predicted by the continuum instability criterion. The manifestations of the instabilities have been observed to be adiabatic shear bands.     

A study of superplasticity in a modified 5083 Al-Mg-Mn alloy

The superplastic (SP) properties of a modified 5083 alloy (Al-4.7Mg-1.6Mn) were evaluated by tensile tests and microstructural characterization over a range of strain rates from 0.0005 to 0.1 s⁻¹, temperatures from 500 °C to 550 °C, and initial grain sizes from 8.7 to 17 μm. The fine-grained material was found to exhibit strain-rate sensitivity values of greater than 0.5 over the strain-rate range of 0.002 to 0.1 s⁻¹, while the coarser-grained material appeared to deform as a Class I solid solution by glide-controlled dislocation creep. It was found that the mechanical properties could be adequately represented by a semiempirical constitutive equation which reflected the flow hardening due to dynamic grain growth, the change in m with strain and strain rate, and the transition between SP deformation and dislocation creep with strain rate. Microstructural examination revealed the presence of several pre-existing cavities associated with intermetallic particles. Tensile elongations of up to 525 pct were obtained at a strain rate of 10⁻³s⁻¹.     

The deformation of silicon at high temperatures and strain rates

Polycrystalline and 〈100〉 single crystalline semiconductor grade silicon samples have been subjected to uniaxial compression at strain rates from 10⁻⁵ to 12 s⁻¹ at temperatures ranging from 1100 to 1380 °C. Both intrinsic and p-type polycrystalline material and p-type single crystalline material were tested. Except at the highest temperature and lowest strain rate, no steady state deformation was observed for the polycrystalline material. In all other cases strain hardening was observed which increased with increasing strain rates. The polycrystalline material could be compressed by as much as 50 pct at 1380 °C and a strain rate of 7 s⁻¹ without cracking. An axial stress of approximately 170 MPa produces a strain rate of 5 s⁻¹ at 1380 °C. The stress necessary to produce a given strain rate increases rapidly with decreasing temperature while the ductility rapidly decreases. A preliminary forming limit diagram has also been determined for the polycrystalline material at 1380 °C. The deformation rate-controlling process in the polycrystalline material at high stresses could be the production of vacancies on jogged dislocations. Formerly with the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Pennsylvania     

The origin of strain-rate sensitivity in OFHC copper

This investigation was conducted to determine the nature of the strain-rate sensitivity of OFHC copper at room temperature. In particular, the relative magnitudes of the dynamic contribution (particle inertia, suppression of thermal assistance, and so forth) and the nondynamic contribution (namely, the accelerated rate of strain hardening observed at high strain rates) to the strain-rate sensitivity were determined. Specimens were dynamically compressed using the Hopkinson pressure bar technique, and then were reloaded quasistatically to determine their respective yield strengths. The dynamic contribution to strainrate sensitivity was taken as the difference between the peak dynamic flow stress and the flow stress of the same specimen when reloaded quasistatically. The nondynamic contribution to strain-rate sensitivity of the flow stress was taken as the difference between the quasistatic flow stress in reloading of a specimen prestrained ε₀ dynamically and the flow stress at ε₀ for a sample deformed in uniaxial quasistatic compression. The room temperature dynamic flow-stress of OFHC copper, deformed at 500s⁻¹, was found to be 25 pct higher than the conventional quasistatic flow stress for this metal over a strain range of 0.08 to 0.20. The nondynamic contribution to strain-rate sensitivity was found to be about 60 pct of the total flow stress increase and has been attributed to a difference in strainhardening at different strain rates. Thus, it appears that in OFHC copper at room temperature and at strain rates of about 500s⁻¹, the nondynamic contribution to strain-rate sensitivity is more significant than the dynamic contribution.     

Effect of friction stir processing on the kinetics of superplastic deformation in an Al-Mg-Zr alloy

The effect of friction stir processing on the superplastic behavior of extruded Al-4Mg-1Zr was examined at 350 °C to 600 °C and at initial strain rates of 1×10⁻³ to 1 s⁻¹. A combination of a fine grain size of 1.5 μm and high-angle grain boundaries in the friction stir-processed (FSP) alloy led to considerably enhanced superplastic ductility, much-reduced flow stress, and a shift to a higher optimum strain rate and lower optimum temperature. The as-extruded alloy exhibited the highest superplastic ductility of 1015 pct at 580 °C and an initial strain rate of 1×10⁻²s⁻¹, whereas a maximum elongation of 1280 pct was obtained at 525 °C and an initial strain rate of 1×10⁻¹s⁻¹ for the FSP alloy. The FSP alloy exhibited enhanced superplastic deformation kinetics compared to that predicted by the constitutive relationship for superplasticity in fine-grained aluminum alloys. A possible origin for enhanced superplastic deformation kinetics in the FSP condition is proposed.     

Characterization of hot deformation behavior of brasses using processing maps: Part II. β Brass and α-β brass

The hot deformation behaviors of β brass in the temperature range of 550°C to 800°C and α-β brass in the temperature range of 450°C to 800°C have been characterized in the strain rate range of 0.001 to 100 s⁻¹ using processing maps developed on the basis of the Dynamic Materials Model. The map for β brass revealed a domain of superplasticity in the entire temperature range and at strain rates lower than 1 s⁻¹, with a maximum efficiency of power dissipation of about 68 pct. The temperature variation of the efficiency of power dissipation in the domain is similar to that of the diffusion coefficient for zinc in β brass, confirming that the diffusion-accommodated flow controls the superplasticity. The material undergoes microstructural instability in the form of adiabatic shear bands and strain markings at temperatures lower than 700°C and at strain rates higher than 10 s⁻¹. The map for α-β brass revealed a wide domain for processing in the temperature range of 550°C to 800°C and at strain rates lower than 1 s⁻¹, with a maximum efficiency of 54 pct occurring at about 750°C and 0.001 s⁻¹. In the domain, the α phase undergoes dynamic recrystallization and controls the hot deformation of the alloy, while the β phase deforms superplastically. At strain rates greater than 1 s⁻¹, α-β brass exhibits microstructural instabilities manifested as flow rotations at lower temperatures and localized shear bands at higher temperatures.     

High-temperature deformation behavior of coarse- and fine-grained MoSi<Subscript>2</Subscript> with different silica contents

The elevated-temperature deformation behavior of polycrystalline molybdenum disilicide (MoSi₂), in the range of 1000 °C to 1350 °C at the strain rates of 10⁻³, 5×10⁻⁴, or 10⁻⁴ s⁻¹, has been studied. The yield strength, post-yield flow behavior comprising strain hardening and serrations, as well as some of the deformation microstructures of reaction-hot-pressed (RHP) MoSi₂ samples, processed by hot pressing an elemental Mo + Si powder mixture and having a grain size of 5 μm and oxygen content of 0.06 wt pct, have been compared with those of samples prepared by hot pressing of commercial-grade Starck MoSi₂ powder, with a grain size of 27 μm and oxygen content of 0.89 wt pct. While the fine-grained RHP MoSi₂ samples have shown higher yield strength at relatively lower temperatures and higher strain rates, the coarse-grained Starck MoSi₂ has a higher yield at decreasing strain rates and higher temperatures. The work-hardening or softening characteristics are dependent on grain size, temperature, and strain rate. Enhanced dislocation activity and dynamic recovery, accomplished by arrangement of dislocations in low-angle boundaries, characterize the deformation behavior of fine-grained RHP MoSi₂ at a temperature of 1200 °C and above and are responsible for increased uniform plastic strain with increasing temperature. The silica content appears to be less effective in degrading the high-temperature yield strength if the grain size is coarse, but leads to plastic-flow localization and strain softening in Starck MoSi₂. Serrated plastic flow has also been observed in a large number of samples, mostly when deformed at specific combinations of strain rates and temperatures.     

On the effect of plastic deformation on the coarsening of ϑ-phase precipitation in an Al-Cu alloy

In the present investigation, the focus is on dynamic coarsening of the equilibrium ϑ phase in an Al-4wt pct Cu alloy. For this purpose, specimens containing a uniform ϑ particle distribution have been produced and deformed in compression at two different temperatures (200 °C and 250 °C) and strain rates in the ranges of 200 °C to 250 °C and 10⁻⁵ to 10⁻² s⁻¹, respectively. The particle size distribution measurements performed in a scanning microscope in back-scattered mode demonstrated a double peak behavior depending on temperature: at the lowest test temperature, the dynamic coarsening is enhanced at the highest strain rate, while at 250 °C, the coarsening seems to be affected by crushing of small and medium size particles during straining.     

Effect of temperature and strain rate on the compressive flow of aluminum composites containing submicron alumina particles

Uniaxial compression tests were conducted on aluminum composites containing 34 and 37 vol pct submicron alumina particles, to study the effect of temperature and strain rate on their flow stress. For temperatures between 25 °C and 600 °C and strain rates between 10⁻³ and 1 s⁻¹, the flow stress of the composites is significantly higher than that of unreinforced aluminum tested under similar conditions. This can be attributed to direct strengthening of the composites due to load sharing between the particles and the matrix, and an enhanced in-situ matrix flow stress resulting from a particle-induced increase in dislocation density. The composites, however, exhibit the same stress dependence on temperature and strain rate as unreinforced aluminum, indicating a common hardening mechanism, i.e., forest dislocation interactions. The forest hardening present under the explored testing conditions masks the effects of direct dispersion strengthening operative at lower deformation rates in these materials.     

Serrated Flow and Enhanced Ductility in Coarse-Grained Al-Mg Alloys

Conventionally, superplasticity requires the presence of a fine-grained microstructure to enable grain-boundary sliding to take place during deformation. However, coarse-grained materials have also been shown to exhibit higher than normal amounts of ductility, provided they possess a high-enough strain rate sensitivity. In this work, coarse-grained Al-3 pct Mg, Al-5 pct Mg, and AA 5056 alloys were tested for enhanced ductility. The dependence of flow stress on temperature was found to display some unusual characteristics; these were interpreted as resulting from the occurrence of dynamic strain aging (DSA). In these materials, a local peak in elongation coincided with the presence of an unusual peak in rate sensitivity. This region of higher than normal rate sensitivity was coupled with the usual region of negative rate sensitivity found in DSA-prone materials, such as the Al-Mg alloys. A maximum ductility of 170 pct was recorded at 723 K (450 °C) and a strain rate of 5 × 10⁻² seconds⁻¹ was found in the vicinity of the rate sensitivity peak. This was found to increase to nearly 300 pct when the gage length was shortened. These peaks in elongation occurred below the maximum test temperatures.     

Solid-solution strengthening in Ni-C alloys

“Pure” nickel and Ni-C solid-solution alloys of various grain sizes (ASTM no. 2 to 10), with eight different carbon concentrations in the range 0.008 to 0.304 wt pct, were strained in tension between 4° and 474°K at a strain rate of 8.3 × 10⁻⁵per sec. The critical resolved shear stress (CRSS) was independent of temperature in the range 200° to 474° K (athermal region). Below 200°K, the CRSS increased sharply with decreasing temperature, the increase being larger for alloys of high carbon concentration. Both the temperature-dependent and the athermal alloy hardening were found to be linear functions of carbon concentration. The strain-rate sensitivities of flow stress of alloys did not change with strain and were larger for alloys of higher carbon concentrations. The Hall-Petch relation was used to calculate the CRSS of Ni-C single crystals, Τ₀ ^f, so that the data can be compared with existing alloy hardening theories. The data are compatible with the solid-solution theory of Friedel in which the hardening is attributed to both elastic and electrical interactions between dislocation cores and solute atoms. Formerly with the Edgar C. Bain Laboratory for Fundamental Research, U.S. Steel Corp., Research Center, Monroeville, Pa. Formerly with the Edgar C. Bain Laboratory for Fundamental Research.     

Dynamic recrystallization during hot deformation of aluminum: A study using processing maps

The hot deformation behavior of aluminum of different purities has been studied in the temperature range of 250 °C to 600 °C and strain-rate range of 10 3 to 102 s’1. On the basis of the flow stress data, the strain-rate sensitivity (m) of the material is evaluated and used for establishing power dissipation maps following the Dynamic Materials Model. These maps depict the variation of the efficiency of power dissipation [η = 2m/(m +1)] with temperature and strain rate. A domain of dynamic recrystallization (DRX) could be identified in these maps. While the strain rate at which the efficiency peak occurred in this domain is 10_-3 s⁻¹ the DRX temperature is purity dependent and is 375 °C for 99.999 pct Al, 450 °C for 99.995 pct Al, 550 °C for 99.94 pct Al, and 600 °C for 99.5 pct Al. The maximum efficiency of power dissipation for DRX in aluminum is about 55 pct. The sigmoidal increase of grain size with temperature in the DRX domain and the decrease in the DRX temperature with increase in the purity of aluminum are very similar to that observed in static recrystallization, although DRX occurred at much higher temperatures.     

Microstructural Evolution During the Hot Deformation of Ti-55Ni (at. pct) Intermetallic Alloy

The hot deformation behavior of Ti-55Ni (at. pct) alloy was studied using compression testing at 1173 K (900 °C) to 1323 K (1050 °C) and at the strain rates of 0.001 to 0.35 s⁻¹. The microstructure evolution was characterized using optical and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The influences of hot-working parameters on the flow stress and microstructural features of this alloy were then analyzed. The results indicate that, depending on the temperature and strain rate, the dynamic recrystallization (DRX) is the dominate mechanism. Besides, the particle-stimulated nucleation (PSN) mechanism could partially recrystallize the structure. The PSN phenomenon is of significant importance for the Ti-55Ni (at. pct) that suffers from insufficient workability because of its high content of intermetallic phases. It is of interest that the discontinuous yielding phenomenon has been observed when the specimens were deformed at 1173 K (900 °C). Finally, the optimum parameters for hot working of Ti-55Ni (at. pct) alloy are determined as well.     

Deformation-induced phase transformation and strain hardening in type 304 austenitic stainless steel

Deformation-induced phase transformation in a type 304 austenitic stainless steel has been studied in tension at room temperature and −50 °C. The evolution of transformation products was monitored using X-ray diffraction (XRD) line profile analysis of diffraction peaks from a single XRD scan employing the direct comparison method. Crystallographic texture transitions due to deformation strain have been evaluated using (111) _γ pole figures. The tensile stress-strain data have been analyzed to explain the influence of underlying deformation-induced microstructural changes and associated texture changes in the steel. It is found that the initial stage of rapidly decreasing strain hardening rate in type 304 steel is primarily influenced by hcp ɛ-martensite formation, and the second stage of increasing strain hardening rate is associated with an increase in the α′-martensite formation. The formation of ɛ-martensite is associated with a gradual strengthening of the copper-type texture components up to 15 pct strain and decreasing with further strain at −50 °C. Texture changes during low-temperature deformation not only change the mechanism of ɛ-martensite formation but also influence the strain rate sensitivity of the present steel.