Deformation behavior of thin copper films on deformable substrates

The role of strain hardening for the deformation of thin Cu films was investigated quantitatively by conducting specialized tensile testing allowing the simultaneous characterization of the film stress and the dislocation density as a function of plastic strain. The stress–strain behavior was studied as a function of microstructural parameters of the films, such as film thickness (0.4–3.2 μm), grain size and texture. It was found that the stress–strain behavior can be divided into three regimes, i.e. elastic, plastic with strong strain hardening and plastic with weak hardening. The flow stresses and the hardening rate increase with decreasing film thickness and/or grain size, and are about two times higher in (111)-grains compared to the (100)-grains. These effects will be discussed in the light of existing models for plastic deformation of thin films or fine grained metals.     

Plastic flow characteristics of ultrafine grained low carbon steel during tensile deformation

In order to explain steady-state plastic deformation, i.e. the absence of strain hardening in ultrafine grained low carbon steel during tensile deformation, steel of different ferrite grain sizes was prepared by intense plastic straining followed by static annealing and then tensile-tested at room temperature. A comparison between the ferrite grain size of ultrafine grained steel and the dislocation cell size of coarse grained steel formed during tensile deformation revealed that uniform dislocation distribution with high density and cell formation were unlikely to occur in this ultrafine grained steel. This is ascribed to the fact that the ultrafine grain size is comparable to or smaller than the cell size at the corresponding stress level. In addition, from a consideration of dynamic recovery, it was found that the characteristic time for trapped lattice dislocations to spread into the grain boundaries was so fast that the accumulation of lattice dislocation causing strain hardening could not occur under this ultrafine grain size condition. Therefore, the extremely low strain hardening rate of ultrafine grained low carbon steel during tensile deformation is attributed to the combined effects of the two main factors described above.     

异质梯度纳米结构金属的研究现状

强度-塑性倒置普遍存在于传统均匀或随机微观结构的金属材料,而梯度纳米结构材料由于其晶粒尺寸呈梯度变化,变形过程中不同特征尺寸的结构相互协调,使其具有优异的综合力学性能。近年来,由不同性质的非均质区域构成异质结构的设计理论、制备方法和变形机理逐步完善。本文总结了梯度结构、双峰结构、谐波结构、异质层状结构、分散纳米域和层状纳米孪晶结构等异质结构金属材料的分类及制备方法。结合梯度纳米结构金属在应力加载过程中非均匀塑性变形行为,总结其强塑性机制,包括梯度塑性、几何必须位错、机械驱动的晶粒粗化、表面残余应力和表面扰动和剪切带行为等,并讨论其未来发展所面临的挑战。     

The deformation physics of nanocrystalline metals: Experiments, analysis, and computations

This article presents a review of the principal mechanisms responsible for the plastic deformation of nanocrystalline metals. As the concentration of grain boundaries increases, with a decrease in grain size there is a gradual shift in the relative importance of the deformation mechanisms away from the ones operating in the conventional polycrystalline domain. This is predicted by molecular dynamics simulations that indicate a preponderance of dislocation emission/annihilation at grain boundaries and grain-boundary sliding when grain sizes are in the range 20–50 nm. Experiments show, in general, a saturation in work hardening at low strains, which is indicative of a steady-state dislocation density. This saturation is accompanied by an increased tendency toward shear localization, which is supportive of dislocation generation and annihilation at grain boundaries. Dislocation analyses recently proposed corroborate the computational predictions and provide a rational foundation for understanding the mechanical response.     

Void formation in nanocrystalline Cu film during uniaxial relaxation test

Void formation in nanocrystalline Cu thin films with a grain size of 100 nm during uniaxial tensile relaxation experiments is quantitatively studied. Cu thin films with a two-dimensional fiber structure were deposited on heat-resistant polyimide substrates and subject to various subcritical uniform uniaxial tensile strains at an elevated temperature (∼0.3T_m), to observe void formations in nanocrystalline metals with a reduced amount of dislocation-based deformation. Microstructural observations were carried out at several stages of deformation, and the evolutions of void formation in subcritical strain levels are quantitatively discussed. A void formation model is proposed for approximating the nucleation and growth rate of voids. The resulting model shows a reasonable agreement with the observed number density and area fraction of voids for various strain levels and grain sizes. On the basis of the results, the stress and grain size dependences of the void formation process are further discussed.     

纳米孪晶铜尺度效应的数值模拟

为了理解电解沉积纳米孪晶铜的拉伸变形行为,采用基于机制的应变梯度塑性理论对其拉伸变形进行数值模拟研究;提出孪晶薄层强化带的概念,并采用黏聚力界面模型模拟晶界的滑移和分离现象。采用的计算模型包含晶粒尺寸、弹性模量、塑性硬化指数、初始屈服应力和孪晶薄层分布等和尺度效应相关的一系列参数。计算结果有助于理解纳米孪晶铜的力学行为。     

Accumulative channel-die compression bonding (ACCB): A new severe plastic deformation process to produce bulk nanostructured metals

This paper introduces a new severe plastic deformation process to produce bulk nanostructured metals: accumulative channel-die compression bonding (ACCB). In the ACCB process, which can be applied to thick billets, the procedure of cutting, stacking and compression bonding in a channel-die is repeated to provide an ultrahigh plastic strain. This process was trialed with high purity aluminum. A fully recrystallized aluminum sample was deformed by ACCB at room temperature for up to 10 cycles, corresponding to an equivalent strain of 8.0. The initially coarse grains were subdivided by deformation-induced high-angle boundaries, and the fraction of such high-angle boundaries increased with increasing strain. Several cycles of ACCB led to a quite uniform ultrafine structure dominated by high-angle grain boundaries. The average boundary spacing of the 10-cycles ACCB sample was as small as 690 nm. The maximum ultimate tensile strength of the ACCB samples was 130 MPa after 5 cycles. Further ACCB cycles, however, led to a slight decrease in strength due to enhanced recovery and boundary migration during the deformation process. It has been demonstrated that the ACCB process can be used to produce bulk nanostructured metals of relatively large dimensions. The results suggest that the ACCB process is equivalent to conventional rolling deformation at high strains.     

Strength and tension/compression asymmetry in nanostructured and ultrafine-grain metals

The recent literature is reviewed with respect to the strength-limiting deformation mechanisms in nanocrystalline and ultrafine-grain metals. Based on these results, a deformation mechanism map is proposed for FCC metals with ultrafine-grain sizes. In the absence of flaw-controlled brittle fracture, it is concluded that the strength-limiting mechanism in metals with grain sizes between approximately 10 and 500–1000 nm is dislocation emission from grain boundary sources. A simple model for the strength in this regime of grain sizes is developed from classical dislocation theory, based on the bow-out of a dislocation from a grain boundary dislocation source. The model predicts not only the strength as a function of grain size, but also the observed tension/compression asymmetry of the yield strength. The tension/compression asymmetry arises from the pressure dependence of the dislocation self-energy during bow-out. The pressure dependence is a function of material and grain size, consistent with experimental observations. Finally, the model provides a physical basis for a pressure-dependent yield criterion.     

Effects of nanocrystalline and ultrafine grain sizes on constitutive behavior and shear bands in iron

The mechanical behaviors of consolidated iron with average grain sizes from tens of nanometers to tens of microns have been systematically studied under uniaxial compression over a wide range of strain rates. In addition to the well-known strengthening due to grain size refinement, grain size dependence is observed for several other key properties of plastic deformation. In contrast with conventional coarse-grained Fe, high-strength nanocrystalline and submicron-grained Fe exhibit diminished effective strain rate sensitivity of the flow stress. The observed reduction in effective rate sensitivity is shown to be a natural consequence of low-temperature plastic deformation mechanisms in bcc metals through the application of a constitutive model for the behavior of bcc Fe in this strain rate and temperature regime. The deformation mode also changes, with shear localization replacing uniform deformation as the dominant deformation mode from the onset of plastic deformation at both low and high strain rates. The evolution and multiplication of shear bands have been monitored as a function of plastic strain. The grain size dependence is discussed with respect to possible enhanced propensity for plastic instabilities at small grain sizes.     

Enhanced strain-rate sensitivity in fcc nanocrystals due to grain-boundary diffusion and sliding

Recent experiments on face-centered cubic (fcc) and hexagonal close packed (hcp) nanocrystalline metals reported an increase of more than 10-fold in strain-rate sensitivity in contrast to their conventional coarse-grained counterparts. To improve our understanding of this issue, we consider a mesoscopic continuum model of a two-dimensional polycrystal with deformation mechanisms including grain interior plasticity, grain-boundary diffusion and grain-boundary sliding. The model captures the transition from sliding- and diffusion-dominated creep in nanocrystals with relatively small grain sizes at low strain rates to plasticity-dominated flow in nanocrystals with larger grain sizes at higher strain rates. The strain-rate sensitivity obtained from our calculations matches well with the experimental data for nanocrystalline Cu. Based on this analysis, an analytical model incorporating the competition between grain interior plasticity and grain-boundary deformation mechanisms is proposed to provide an intuitive understanding of the transition in strain-rate sensitivity in nanostructured metals.     

Size effects on yield strength and strain hardening for ultra-thin Cu films with and without passivation: A study by synchrotron and bulge test techniques

We present a systematic study of the mechanical properties of different Cu, Ta/Cu and Ta/Cu/Ta films systems. By using a novel synchrotron-based tensile testing technique isothermal stress–strain curves for films as thin as 20 nm were obtained for the first time. In addition, freestanding Cu films with a minimum thickness of 80 nm were tested by a bulge testing technique. The effects of different surface and interface conditions, film thickness and grain size were investigated over a range of film thickness up to 1 μm. It is found that the plastic response scales strongly with film thickness but the effect of the interfacial structure is smaller than expected. By considering the complete grain size distribution and a change in deformation mechanism from full to partial dislocations in the smallest grains, the scaling behavior of all film systems can be described correctly by a modified dislocation source model. The nucleation of dissociated dislocations at the grain boundaries also explains the strongly reduced strain hardening for these films.     

Tungsten-based heterogeneous multilayer structures via diffusion bonding

Recent work has shown that tungsten (W) and other refractory metals with body-centered cubic (bcc) structures exhibit certain novel behavior when their grain size, d, is refined into the ultrafine (UFG, 100 nm < d < 1000 nm) or nanocrystalline (NC, d < 100 nm) regime. For example, it has been shown that bcc refractory metals with such microstructures show decreased strain rate sensitivity besides their elevated strength and vanishing strain hardening response. Consequently, under both quasi-static and high-strain-rate loading, plastic instability in the form of shear banding becomes the dominant mode of plastic deformation. Such behavior is long sought-after in certain applications. However, due to the technology used to refine the grain size (primarily severe plastic deformation), the inability to scale the dimensions of the material may limit wider use and application of UFG/NC bcc refractory metals. In this work, the feasibility was demonstrated of production of large-scale W parts using a diffusion bonding method. The microstructure, preliminary mechanical properties, and issues and challenges associated with the fabrication procedures were examined and discussed. It is envisioned that diffusion bonding may serve as a promising technology for scaled-up fabrication of UFG bcc refractory metals for the targeted application.     

A statistical model for predicting the mechanical properties of nanostructured metals with bimodal grain size distribution

A statistical analysis is employed to investigate the mechanical performance of nanostructured metals with bimodal grain size distribution. The contributions of microcracks in the plastic deformation are accounted for in the mechanism-based plastic model used to describe the strength and ductility of the bimodal metals. The strain-based Weibull probability distribution function and percolation analysis of microcracked solids are applied to predict the failure behavior of the bimodal metals. The numerical results show that the proposed model can describe the mechanical properties of the bimodal metals, including yield strength, strain hardening and uniform elongation. These predictions agree well with the experimental results. The stochastic approaches adopted in the proposed model successfully capture the failure behavior of bimodal coppers that are sensitive to grain size and the volume fraction of coarse grains in addition to the corresponding threshold for percolation. These results will benefit the optimization of both strength and ductility by controlling constituent fractions and the size of the microstructures in materials.     

Characteristics of the tensile flow behavior of Ti–46Al–9Nb sheet material – Analysis of thermally activated processes of plastic deformation

Flow behavior, strain hardening and activation parameters, i.e. activation volume, stress exponents and normalized free enthalpy of activation, of Ti–46Al–9Nb sheet with near-gamma microstructure have been investigated in tension tests between 700 and 1000 °C. The dependence of yield stress on temperature and strain rate, the course of the strain hardening curves and the values of activation parameters show that thermally activated dislocation mechanisms are mainly involved in the tensile deformation process of the investigated material. At constant temperature the value of the activation volume depends both on plastic strain and strain rate. The activation volume generally decreases with increasing strain. The decrease is particularly well observable for higher strain rates, thus indicating a growing role of thermally activated climb mechanisms governing the process of dynamic recovery. The activation volume calculated for a constant plastic strain (2% in case of this study) is a function of temperature and strain rate. At lower deformation rates, or alternatively at higher temperatures, the activation volume increases. Such behavior indicates a decrease in dislocation density due to the onset of dynamic recrystallization. The analysis of stress exponents and the obtained free enthalpy of activation confirm that different thermally activated processes are acting during deformation under the tensile test conditions studied.     

金属退火硬化现象及机理的研究进展

通常金属进行退火时都会发生软化现象,而对于一些特殊的金属或者合金,将出现退火硬化的反常现象。对纯金属、铜合金、镍钨合金、锌铝合金和铝合金等体系中退火硬化现象及机理进行了总结与分析。铝钪、铝镱和铝锆系合金中存在铸态直接退火硬化现象,而其它合金体系需要进行冷变形才会出现退火硬化现象。退火硬化的机理主要包括:晶界溶质偏析、晶界弛豫、第二相颗粒的晶界钉扎、位错源限制硬化、溶质偏析对孪晶边界迁移或位错滑动的钉扎效应、退火孪晶、第二相纳米粒子强化等。     

Strain Hardening Associated with Dislocation,Deformation Twinning,and Dynamic Strain Aging in Fe–20Mn–1.3C–(3Cu) TWIP Steels

The effects of Cu on stacking fault energy,dislocation slip,mechanical twinning,and strain hardening in Fe–20Mn–1.3C twinning-induced plasticity(TWIP) steels were systematically investigated.The stacking fault energy was raised with an average slope of 2 mJ/m2 per 1 wt% Cu.The Fe–20Mn–1.3C–3Cu steel exhibited superior tensile properties,with the ultimate tensile strength reached at 2.27 GPa and elongation up to 96.9% owing to the high strain hardening that occurred.To examine the mechanism of this high strain hardening,dislocation density determination by XRD was calculated.The dislocation density increased with the increasing strain,and the addition of Cu resulted in a decrease in the dislocation density.A comparison of the strain-hardening behavior of Fe–20Mn–1.3C and Fe–20Mn–1.3C–3Cu TWIP steels was made in terms of modified Crussard–Jaoul(C–J) analysis and microstructural observations.Especially at low strains,the contributions of all the relevant deformation mechanisms—slip,twinning,and dynamic strain aging—were quantitatively evaluated.The analysis revealed that the dislocation storage was the leading factor to the increase of the strain hardening,while dynamic strain aging was a minor contributor to strain hardening.Twinning,which interacted with the matrix,acted as an effective barrier to dislocation motion.     

A numerical model of severe shot peening (SSP) to predict the generation of a nanostructured surface layer of material

Generation of a surface layer of material characterized by grains with dimensions up to 100 nm by means of severe plastic deformation is one of the most interesting methods to improve the mechanical behaviour of materials and structural elements. Among the ways to obtain a surface layer with this characteristic, shot peening is one of the most promising processes, since it is applicable to very general geometries and to all metals and metal alloys without high-tech equipments. Notwithstanding the fact that the ability of shot peening to obtain nanostructured surfaces by using particular process parameters (mainly high impact energy and long exposure time) is proved, deep knowledge of the correct choice of quantitative values of process parameters and their relation to the grain size and the thickness and uniformity of the nanostructured layer is still lacking.In this paper a finite element model of severe shot peening (SSP) is developed with the aim of predicting the treatment conditions that lead to surface nanocrystallization. After having assessed the accuracy of the model as regards mesh parameters and constitutive law of the material, the results are discussed and interpreted in terms of induced residual stresses and surface work hardening. A method to assess the formation of nanostructured layer of materials based on the value of the equivalent plastic strain is developed.The comparison with experimental results allow to affirm that the model is a useful tool to predict the generation of a nanostructured surface layer by shot peening and to relate the peening parameters with the treated surface layer in terms of residual stresses, work hardening, and depth of the nanostructured layer.     

Deformation twinning in bulk nanocrystalline metals: Experimental observations

Deformation twins have been observed in nanocrystalline (nc) fcc metals with medium-to-high stacking fault energies such as aluminum, copper, and nickel. These metals in their coarse-grained states rarely deform by twining at room temperature and low strain rates. Several twinning mechanisms have been reported that are unique to nc metals. This paper reviews experimental evidences on deformation twinning and partial dislocation emissions from grain boundaries, twinning mechanisms, and twins with zero-macro-strain. Factors that affect the twinning propensity and recent analytical models on the critical grain sizes for twinning are also discussed. The current issues on deformation twinning in nanocrystalline metals are listed.     

Grain-size effect on plastic flow in nanocrystalline cobalt by atomistic simulation

Molecular dynamics simulation is employed to investigate the plastic flows in nanocrystalline (nc) hexagonal close-packed cobalt under uniaxial tensile deformation. In nc-Co samples modeled by a semi-empirical tight-binding potential, different deformation behaviors such as nucleation and growth of disordered atom segments (DAS) inside grains, deformation-induced hexagonal close-packed to faced-centered cubic transformation, partial dislocation activities are identified at different grain sizes (4–12 nm). At high stresses (1.2–3.2 GPa) and low temperatures (77–470 K), growth of DAS and their interaction with stacking faults are found to dominate the deformation process, even when the grain size is as small as 4 nm. A model for plastic flow generated by DAS inside grains is proposed. The strain rates and the inverse Hall–Petch-like behaviors in nc-Co with sub-10 nm grain sizes can be well described by the DAS plastic-flow model.     

Strength, strain-rate sensitivity and ductility of copper with nanoscale twins

We present a comprehensive computational analysis of the deformation of ultrafine crystalline pure Cu with nanoscale growth twins. This physically motivated model benefits from our experimental studies of the effects of the density of coherent nanotwins on the plastic deformation characteristics of Cu, and from post-deformation transmission electron microscopy investigations of dislocation structures in the twinned metal. The analysis accounts for high plastic anisotropy and rate sensitivity anisotropy by treating the twin boundary as an internal interface and allowing special slip geometry arrangements that involve soft and hard modes of deformation. This model correctly predicts the experimentally observed trends of the effects of twin density on flow strength, rate sensitivity of plastic flow and ductility, in addition to matching many of the quantitative details of plastic deformation reasonably well. The computational simulations also provide critical mechanistic insights into why the metal with nanoscale twins can provide the same level of yield strength, hardness and strain rate sensitivity as a nanostructured counterpart without twins (but of grain size comparable to the twin spacing of the twinned Cu). The analysis also offers some useful understanding of why the nanotwinned Cu with high strength does not lead to diminished ductility with structural refinement involving twins, whereas nanostructured Cu normally causes the ductility to be compromised at the expense of strength upon grain refinement.