Fatigue properties of ultrafine grained low carbon steel produced by equal channel angular pressing

Ultrafine grained low carbon (0.15 wt.% C) steel produced by equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) was tested for investigating fatigue properties, including cyclic softening and crack growth rate. Emphasis was placed on investigating the effect of load ratio on the fatigue crack growth rates of ultrafine grained microstructure. The ECAPed steel exhibited cyclic softening. After the first cycle, the tension and compression peak stresses decreased gradually with the number of cycles. Fatigue crack growth resistance and the threshold of ECAPed ultrafine grained steel were lower than that of an as-received coarse grained steel. This was attributed to a less tortuous crack path. The ECAPed steel exhibited slightly higher crack growth rates and a lower ΔK_th with an increase in R ratio. The R ratio effect on growth rates and ΔK_th was basically indistinguishable at a lower load ratio (R>0.3) compared with other alloys, indicating that the contribution of the crack closure vanished. This was explained by the fact that finer grained materials produce a lower opening load P_op due to a relatively less serrated crack path. Consequently, K_min can reach K_op readily with a smaller increment of load ratio. The crack growth rate curve for the ECAPed ultrafine grained steel exhibited a linear extension to the lower growth rate regime than that for the coarse grained as-received steel. This behavior can be explained by a reverse crack tip plastic zone size (r_p) that is always larger than the grain size.     

Rissfortschritts‐ und Ermüdungsverhalten der Aluminiumlegierung EN AW‐6060 nach ECAP und nachgelagerter Wärmebehandlung

Crack growth and high cycle fatigue behaviour of an AA6060 aluminium alloy after ECAP combined with a subsequent heat treatment Crack growth properties of the Al‐Mg‐Si alloy AA6060 as well as the high cycle fatigue behaviour have been investigated after equal‐channel angular pressing (ECAP). In our study, experiments have been conducted on different stages of microstructural breakdown and strain hardening of the material as they were present after different numbers of ECAP passes. A bimodal condition, obtained after two pressings, and a homogeneously ultrafine‐grained condition after eight repetitive pressings have been investigated. Furthermore, optimized conditions with an enhanced ductility, produced by ECAP processing combined with a following short‐time aging treatment were included into the study. Crack growth experiments have been conducted in the near‐threshold regime and the region of stable crack growth, covering a range of load ratios from R = 0.1 up to 0.7. It was found that the lowered fatigue threshold ΔK_th of the as‐extruded material can be enhanced by the combination of ECAP and short‐time aging, owing to the increased ductility and strain hardening capability of this material. By means of SEM investigations and tensile tests, the crack growth properties of the different conditions were related to microstructural and mechanical features. In fatigue tests, load reversals up to failure and the fatigue limit for an as‐extruded condition and an optimized condition after two ECAP‐passes have been compared to the coarse grained initial condition and a remarkable increase in fatigue strength was noted.     

Importance of deformation induced ferrite and factors which control its formation

Abstract

The influence of strain, strain rate, temperature, and grain size on the formation of deformation induced ferrite has been examined. Deformation induced ferrite forms very readily in both fine and coarse grained steels and much more rapidly than the ferrite from strain free austenite. Very small strains are sufficient to induce the production of such ferrite and the temperature range over which it appears spans from just below the Ae₃ temperature down to the undeformed Ar₃ temperature. Although it forms readily in both coarse and fine grained steels, the volume fraction produced is sensitive to the austenite grain size. In coarse grained steels, deformation at low strain rates is concentrated along the grain faces; extensive dynamic recovery occurs, which is why the ferrite remains soft, so that only thin ferrite films are able to form. At higher strain rates, work hardening takes place so that the strength of the ferrite at high strains approaches that of the austenite. Under these conditions, the deformation is propagated towards the centres of the austenite grains and larger volume fractions of deformation induced ferrite are able to form. In fine grained steels, the flow stress in the austenite grain boundary region is increased, so that when ferrite first forms, a considerable amount of work hardening takes place, which strengthens the ferrite. When combined with the increased number of triple points present in the material, the increased work hardening promotes spreading of the deformation, with the result that larger volume fractions of ferrite are produced, even at low strains and strain rates.     

Fatigue crack growth resistance of ECAPed ultrafine-grained copper

This work presents the experimental results of fatigue crack growth resistance of ultrafine-grained (UFG) copper. The UFG copper has a commercial purity level (99.90%) and an average grain size of 300 nm obtained by a 8-passes route Bc ECAP process. The fatigue propagation tests are conducted in air, at load ratios R = K_min/K_max varying from 0.1 to 0.7, on small Disk Shaped CT specimens. Both stage I and stage II regime of growth rate are explored. Results are partially in contrast with the few experimental data available in the technical literature, that are by the way about high purity UFG copper. In fact, the present material shows a relatively high fatigue crack resistance with respect to the unprocessed coarse-grained alloy, especially at high values of applied stress intensity factor ΔK. At higher R-ratio a smaller threshold intensity factor is found, together with a lower stage II fatigue crack growth rate. The explanation of such crack growth retardation is based on a diffuse branching mechanism observed especially at higher average ΔK.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg–Zn–Ca alloy processed by equal channel angular pressing

An ultrafine-grained (UFG) Mg–5.12 wt.% Zn–0.32 wt.% Ca alloy with an average grain size of 0.7 μm was produced by subjecting the as-extruded alloy to equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) for 4 passes at 250 °C. The fine secondary phase restricted the dynamic recrystallized (DRXed) grain growth during the ECAP processing, resulting in a remarkable grain refinement. A new texture was formed in the ECAPed Mg alloy with the {0 0 0 2} plane inclined at an angle of 58° relative to the extrusion direction. The yield stress (YS) was decreased in the as-ECAPed alloy with finer grains, indicating that the texture softening effect was dominant over the strengthening from grain refinement. The ductility of the as-ECAPed alloy was increased to 18.2%. The grain refinement caused an obvious decrease in work hardening rate in the as-ECAPed alloy during tensile deformation at room temperature.     

Effects of grain size on compressive behaviour in ultrafine grained pure Mg processed by equal channel angular pressing at room temperature

Ultrafine-grained pure magnesium with an average grain size of 0.8 μm was produced by refining coarse-grained (980 μm) ingot by multi-pass equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) at room temperature with the application of a back pressure. The compressive deformation behaviour at room temperature depended on grain size, with deformation twinning and associated work hardening observed in coarse-grained Mg, but absent in the ultrafine grained material as decreasing grain size raised the stress for twinning above that for dislocation slip. The ultrafine grained Mg showed good plasticity with prolonged constant stress after some initial strain hardening.     

Equal channel angular pressing of a TWIP steel: microstructure and mechanical response

A Fe–20.1Mn–1.23Si–1.72Al–0.5C TWIP steel with ultrafine grain structure was successfully processed through equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) at warm temperature up to four passes following the B _C route. The microstructure evolution was characterized by electron backscattered diffraction to obtain the grain maps, which revealed an obvious reduction in grain size, as well as a decrease in the twin fraction, with increasing number of ECAP passes. The texture evolution during ECAP was analyzed by orientation distribution function. The results show that the annealed material presents brass (B) as dominant component. After ECAP, the one pass sample presents A ₁* and A ₂* as the strongest components, while the two passes and four passes samples change gradually toward \( B/\bar{B} \) components. TEM analysis shows that all samples present twins. The twin thickness is reduced with increasing the number of ECAP passes. Nano-twins, as a result of secondary twinning, are also observed in the one and two passes samples. In the four passes sample, the microstructure is extensively refined by the joint action of ultrafine subgrains, grains and twins. The mechanical behavior was studied by tensile samples, and it was found that the yield strength and the ultimate tensile strength are significantly enhanced at increasing number of ECAP passes. Although the ductility and strain hardening capability are reduced with ECAP process, the present TWIP steel shows significant uniform deformation periods with positive work hardening rates.     

Microstructure and mechanical behavior of ECAP processed AZ31B over a wide range of loading rates under compression and tension

In this work, a commercial magnesium alloy, AZ31B in hot-rolled condition, has been subjected to severe plastic deformation via four passes of equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) to modify its microstructure. Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) was used to characterize the microstructure of the as-received, ECAPed and mechanically loaded specimens. Mechanical properties of the specimens were evaluated under both compression and tension along the rolling/extrusion direction over a wide range of strain rates. The yield strength, ultimate strength and failure strain/elongation under compression and tension were compared in detail to sort out the effects of factors in terms of microstructure and loading conditions. The results show that both the as-received alloy and ECAPed alloy are nearly insensitive to strain rate under compression, and the stress–strain curves exhibit clear sigmoidal shape, pointing to dominance of mechanical twinning responsible for the plastic deformation under compression. All compressive samples fail prematurely via adiabatic shear banding followed by cracking. Significant grain size refinement is identified in the vicinity of the shear crack. Under tension, the yield strength is much higher, with strong rate dependence and much improved tensile ductility in the ECAPed specimens. Tensile ductility is even much larger than the malleability under compression. This supports the operation of 〈c + a〉 dislocations. However, ECAP lowers the yield and flow strengths of the alloy under tension. We attempted to employ a mechanistic model to provide an explanation for the experimental results of plastic deformation and failure, which is in accordance with the physical processes under tension and compression.     

Fatigue crack growth resistance of 7075 Al alloy after equal channel angular pressing

This work presents experimental results on effects of severe plastic deformation (SPD) and subsequent natural ageing on tensile mechanical properties and fatigue crack growth resistance of fine‐grained 7075 Al alloy. The alloy was subjected to equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) after solution treatment. Fatigue crack propagation tests were conducted in room condition, at load ratio R = 0.1 and different load ranges on small disk shaped compact tension specimens. Fatigue fracture surface is also investigated using scanning electron microscopy observations and showed more ductile fatigue crack growth in the unECAPed specimen. Despite the increased tensile strength after ECAP, the ductility that controls low‐cycle fatigue behaviour has decreased. It is found that ECAP has resulted in a remarkable change in Paris regime parameters and a significant increase in fatigue crack growth rate. The decrease in fatigue crack growth resistance and ΔK_c after ECAP can be attributed to the decrease in alloy's ductility.     

The microstructure,tensile, and shear deformation behavior of an AZ31 magnesium alloy after extrusion and equal channel angular pressing

The shear punch testing (SPT) technique and the uniaxial tension tests were employed to evaluate the mechanical properties of the equal channel angularly pressed (ECAPed) AZ31 magnesium alloy. After extruding, the material was ECAPed for 1, 2, and 4 passes using route B_C. The grain structure of the material was refined from 20.2 to 1.6 μm after 4 passes of ECAP at 200 °C. The 4 pass ECAPed alloy showed lower yield stress and higher ductility as compared to the as-extruded condition, indicating that texture softening has overcome the strengthening effects of grain refinement. The same trends in strength and ductility were also observed in shear punch testing. Similar shear strength and ductility values of the samples taken perpendicular to the extrusion direction (ED) and normal direction (ND) after 4 passes of ECAP indicated that {0 0 0 2} basal planes were inclined (∼45°) to the extrusion axis. The shear punch testing technique was found to be a useful method for verifying directional mechanical properties of the miniature samples of the ECAPed magnesium alloys.     

The influence of deformation by equal-channel angular pressing on the ageing response and precipitate fracturing: case of the Al–Ag alloy

Severe plastic deformation (SPD) processes reduce drastically the grain size of metals, leading to a substantial increase of mechanical strength. Additionally, it has been observed that the precipitation kinetics in some Al alloys is accelerated after SPD, and thus suitable heat treatments can be used as a strategy for further hardening. In this work an Al–17 % Ag alloy was processed by equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP) and aged at 400 °C for different lengths of time with the purpose of observing and quantifying the kinetics of precipitation and competitive growth of the Al₂Ag phase, as well as the precipitate fracturing and dissolution by ECAP. Microstructure observation of samples aged before ECAP deformation showed that precipitate bending rather than fracturing was the dominant event. The Al₂Ag plates precipitation kinetics were studied on samples aged in the coarse-grained condition and after ECAP; results show that in the former group of samples the kinetics is well described by the Ham, Horvay and Cahn analysis. In the ECAP processed samples, a much faster than expected Ostwald ripening type of growth was observed. Such behaviour was attributed to a dislocation substructure stabilized by the Al₂Ag precipitates.     

On the fatigue crack growth–microstructure relationship in ultrafine-grained interstitial-free steel

The crack growth behavior in an ultrafine-grained (UFG) interstitial-free (IF) steel processed by equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) was investigated utilizing miniaturized compact-tension specimens with different microstructural characteristics. The current results demonstrate that both the ECAP processing route and the direction of crack growth with respect to the extrusion direction dictate the crack growth behavior in UFG IF steel. Specifically, the highest crack growth rates and the lowest threshold values were observed for the lowest grain size. Moreover, an unusual deviation from the expected direction of crack expansion was observed, where the deviation depended on the processing route and direction of crack growth. This deviation is attributed to the presence of elongated structures in the microstructure, which were mainly detectable in the UFG IF steel following a small number of pressings, and to a smaller extent in the optimized microstructures. Specifically, these elongated structures formed parallel to the material’s plastic flow during ECAP processing and moved the crack away from the expected direction of growth due to the high stress concentration zones they created along with the process-induced damages.     

Microstructure and strength of pure Cu with large grains processed by equal channel angular pressing

The pure Cu rods with an initial grain size of 410 μm were treated by using equal channel angular pressing (ECAP). The deformed microstructure and mechanical properties of ECAPed Cu samples were investigated. Special attention was paid on the refinement of grain size and local micromechanics of ECAPed Cu samples. The original coarse grains were refined to 320 μm after 4 passes. The final grains were composed of dislocation cells with a size of 500 nm–3 μm after 5–8 passes. The yield strength reached a saturation value of 368 MPa after 5 passes. The maps of microhardness distribution illustrated the inhomogeneity of local mechanical properties. The dislocation subdivision was the main deformation mode to refine the grain size, while twin fragmentation was restrained by dislocation slips for the reason of large initial grain size. Furthermore, the strengthening of ECAPed Cu was discussed.     

Formation of ultrafine grained microstructure in the austenitic stainless steel and its impact on tensile properties

Commercial grade AISI 316L austenitic stainless steel was heavily cold rolled to 90% of thickness reduction. The cold rolled material was subjected to repetitive annealing treatment for short duration of 45-60 s at various temperatures. The microstructure of the cold rolled and after annealing was studied by optical as well as transmission electron microscope. The microstructural examination of the specimens after repetitive annealing process revealed the formation of ultrafine grain size microstructure. It was also noted that depending on the processing condition the grain size distribution varied widely. The tensile testing of the annealed specimen showed that the yield strength increased by 4-5 times that of the coarse grained material. However, a loss in the strain hardening ability was observed in these specimens. A good combination of yield strength and ductility for ultrafine grained stainless steel as compared to the coarse grained material could be obtained by the optimization of the microstructure.     

Mechanical Properties,Fatigue Life,and Electrical Conductivity of Cu–Cr–Hf Alloy after Equal Channel Angular Pressing

Structure, mechanical, and service properties of a Cu–Cr–Hf alloy after quenching, equal‐channel angular pressing (ECAP), and subsequent aging have been studied. The positive effects of ultrafine‐grained structure formation (grain/subgrain size of ≈200 nm) during ECAP and strengthening particles precipitation upon subsequent aging at 450 °C on the mechanical and fatigue properties of the alloy are shown. Ultrafine‐grained Cu–Cr–Hf alloy after aging shows increasing in the fatigue limit on the basis of 10⁷ cycles from 185 to 375 MPa relative to that of the initial coarse‐grained state. The alloy after ECAP and aging also exhibits sufficient elongation to failure (11.4%) and good electrical conductivity (78%IACS).     

Effects of extrusion and equal channel angular pressing on the microstructure,tensile and fatigue behaviour of the wrought magnesium alloy AZ80

The microstructure, mechanical properties, fatigue life and fatigue crack propagation rate of Mg‐8Al‐0.5Zn‐0.3Mn (AZ80) magnesium alloy were investigated after extrusion and equal channel angular pressing (ECAP). The highest ultimate and yield strengths and a large enhancement in the fatigue lifetime were obtained after two passes of ECAP. These were decreased with further pressing, although the grain size became finer. There was a correlation between the fatigue and ultimate strengths of AZ80 alloy. The transition from twinning to dislocation slip has also occurred at an average grain size of 7.9 μm. Simultaneous influences of the grain size and the yield strength caused an almost the same threshold of the stress intensity ratio for different process conditions. Moreover, the enhanced ductility of the ECAPed alloy resulted in an increase in the crack growth resistance because of its better ability to accommodate plastic strains during cycling.     

Fatigue Damage Evolution in Ultrafine‐Grained Interstitial‐Free Steel

The current work presents the crack propagation behavior in ultrafine‐grained (UFG) interstitial‐free (IF) steel, and in particular, focuses on the damage evolution in UFG IF steel under cyclic loading. The current results indicate that equal‐channel angular pressing (ECAP) has a major influence on the cyclic deformation response of the UFG IF steel, such that the failure and the crack path depend on the inclination plane during ECAP. Furthermore, the UFG IF steel demonstrates significant notch sensitivity in comparison to its coarse‐grained counterpart. This is attributed to the ultrafine grains with a large volume fraction of high‐angle grain boundaries, where glide of dislocations is hindered and the resulting internal stresses increase the stress concentration further in the presence of a pre‐existing notch.     

Mechanical properties of ultra-fine grained zirconia ceramics

The mechanical properties of tetragonal zirconia (TZP) materials doped with Y, Ce or Ti were studied as a function of temperature and grain size. Fine grained Y-TZP (grain size < 0.3 m) shows values for fracture toughness and strength at room temperature, which are comparable with the coarse grained transformation toughened materials, despite lacking transformation toughening. The morphology of the fracture surface points to crack deflection as the most important toughening mechanism. At 800 °C fracture toughness and strength are higher than in coarse grained Y-TZP materials. Doping Y-TZP with Ce or Ti results in a similar trend in mechanical properties, for fine grained material, as for the Y-TZP materials.     

Sphere contact fatigue of a coarse-grained Al2O3 ceramic

The opposite sphere test is an appropriate tool to determine crack‐growth exponents for fatigue under repeated contact loading. Lifetime measurements for a coarse‐grained Al₂O₃ are reported. To explain the fatigue exponents that strongly deviated from those obtained in cyclic bending tests, a fracture mechanics analysis was carried out. It was aimed at determining the correct stress intensity factor solution for the tests, including limited dimensions of test specimens deviating from the case of a cone crack in a half space. Cone crack development was observed microscopically and the related stress intensity factors were computed for the observed crack shape. For modelling the fatigue behaviour, it is assumed that the fatigue effect is influenced by a reduction of the shielding term of crack growth resistance due to periodical friction between the grain‐interlock bridges in coarse‐grained alumina. This results in a loss of traction at the junctions, crack tip shielding is reduced, and the effective load at the crack tip is increased.     

ECAP加工与热处理对工业纯铁点蚀行为的影响

通过多道次等通道转角挤压(ECAP)和退火热处理,制备不同组织结构状态的超细晶工业纯铁,采用透射电镜观察微观组织结构特征,并用电化学极化和阻抗谱技术表征超细晶纯铁在含氯离子的钝化介质中点蚀行为。结果表明:随着ECAP加工道次增加,低道次形成的高位错密度板条状结构转变为低位错密度等轴晶;ECAP样退火热处理后,位错减少、大角度晶界增加。ECAP加工道次对纯铁自钝化性能影响不大,开路电位和极化电阻变化均较小;耐点蚀性能与加工道次有关,点蚀电位随加工道次先下降后升高;退火处理后自钝化性能和耐蚀性提高,开路电位、极化电阻和点蚀电位均明显增大。