ACTA

向上滑动阅览英文摘要

Additive manufacturing technologies have emerged as potentially disruptive processes whose possible impacts range across supply chain logistics, prototyping, and novel materials synthesis. Numerous works illustrate the ability to control microstructure in fusion based processes and a few recent authors have even produced single crystals. However, a number of questions remain open regarding the process window which enables printing of single crystals. Furthermore, it has been observed that these additively manufactured single crystals exhibit a preferred 〈011〉 secondary orientation parallel to the scanning direction. In this work we investigate the fabrication conditions that enable printing of single crystals via electron beam melting. A space filling design of experiments is utilized to efficiently explore the fabrication space. Single crystals are successfully obtained using both commercially available powders and custom melt alloys. Microstructures obtained via these exploratory experiments exhibited a continuum of columnar structures ranging from weakly textured polycrystals, near single crystal, and fully single crystalline material. Complex geometry experiments are performed to study the grain selection mechanism. We find that the grain selection mechanism is independent of the bulk scale geometry and must therefore be driven by local heat transfer and solidification dynamics. Furthermore, grain selection is shown to be driven by competing driving forces; one which prefers epitaxial growth and another which is driven by the imposed processing conditions.

ACTA

向上滑动阅览英文摘要

Coherent ordered nanoprecipitation (CON) hardening is an efficient strategy for breaking the strength-ductility trade-off. Revealing the precipitation mechanism and its influence on mechanical property is significant for further optimization of CON-strengthened alloys. In this work, we investigated the precipitation and mechanical behavior of the coherent FCC/L1₂ spinodal nanostructure and nano-lamellar BCC phase in a newly developed CON-strengthened Al_0.5Cr_0.9FeNi_2.5V_0.2 high entropy alloy (HEA). We found that high-density defects induced by pre-deformation promoted the segregation of Cr, resulting in composition redistribution. The thermodynamics state of the matrix shifted into a spinodal regime and the ordering energy of L1₂ phase increased, facilitating the formation of coherent FCC/L1₂ spinodal nanostructure. Meanwhile, the Cr segregation promoted the precipitation of Cr-enriched nano-lamellar BCC phase. During tensile deformation, the FCC phase yielded first, followed by L1₂ and BCC phases in sequence. The L1₂ and BCC strengthening phases contributed to an ultrahigh macroscopic yield strength. Due to the low-misfit interconnected spinodal nanostructure, the differences in phase stress between FCC and L1₂ phases was insignificant, which could avoid the stress concentration and retain ductility. The nano-lamellar feature of the stiff BCC phase delayed the crack initiation and propagation. Our research revealed not only the significant effect of pre-deformation on CONs formation and refinement, but also the deformation mechanism of CONs, which shed new light on the microstructural optimization and mechanical property improvement of CON-strengthened alloys.

ACTA

向上滑动阅览英文摘要

In this study, we investigate the fundamentals of deformation-driven cementite decomposition during rolling contact fatigue in a binary Fe-0.74C (wt.%) steel with pearlitic microstructure. To reveal the involved nano-scale mechanisms, we apply transmission electron microscopy and atom probe tomography, as well as the combination of both techniques on the same probe volume for correlative structural and chemical analysis. After ~32,500 individual ball contacts under a nominal Hertzian contact stress of ~1,250 MPa, cementite lamellae are consistently depleted in carbon (C) down to ~20 at.%, which is a reduction of 20% in comparison to the original stoichiometric composition of 25 at.% before deformation. By electron diffraction on atom probe tip volumes, we show that this under-stoichiometric cementite still maintains its crystal structure. The potential effect of temperature increase during rolling contact fatigue on cementite decomposition is addressed by carrying out annealing experiments at 150°C and 250°C for 30 minutes after rolling contact fatigue. Our results show that slip transmission across cementite lamellae is primarily responsible for the observed C-depletion in cementite. We quantitatively discuss slip transmission from ferrite to cementite using slip trace analysis and correlate the amount of slip activity with the observed C-depletion. In this way, we explain the formation of under-stoichiometric cementite by combined slip transmission and solute drag by dislocations, where C is transported out of cementite by dislocation gliding through cementite lamellae. Only afterward, cementite decomposition in terms of phase dissolution is suggested to occur by the dislocation-shuffle mechanism.

ACTA

向上滑动阅览英文摘要

Among the twinning modes in hexagonal close-packed (HCP) metals, the mechanism for {11-22}<11-2-3> mode is particularly confusing and controversial. In the literature reports, there are three possible second invariant planes, i.e. the K₂ planes for {11-22}<11-2-3>  twinning mode: {11-2-4} which has been widely accepted and corresponds to a three-layer zonal twinning dislocation; {11-2-2} that is deemed unfavorable; and (0002) which has only been observed in atomistic simulations and corresponds to a single-layer twinning dislocation. {11-2-4} was predicted by classical twinning theory and the experimentally measured magnitude of twinning shear s in titanium and zirconium seemed to agree well with the prediction. However, {11-2-4} has never been verified in simulations which show that (0002) should be the K₂ plane. This conflict has not been resolved due to the lack of experimental observation of the structure of twinning dislocations. In this work, scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) observations are conducted to resolve the twin boundary structure in deformed pure titanium on the atomic scale, combined with atomistic simulations. Atomic resolution STEM unambiguously shows that the twinning dislocation only involves a single twinning plane and the K₂ plane is (0002), which is consistent with the atomistic simulations. The STEM results also reveal a half-shear-half-shuffle process which is manifested by a unique twin boundary structure generated by the glide of single-layer twinning dislocations. To explain these results, the lattice correspondences of all three K₂ planes are examined in great detail. In particular, shear and shuffle required in the lattice transformations are analyzed inside the framework of classical theory. These analyses explain well why (0002) is the more favorable K2 plane than {11-2-4} and {11-2-2}, and properly resolve the conflict between the prediction of the classical twinning theory and the simulation results.

ACTA

向上滑动阅览英文摘要

Non-thermal effect caused by ultrafast lasers and swift ions in materials are very intriguing, which is of both scientific interest and technological importance. However, the underlying physics of non-thermal effect on ultrafast process remains unclear and the proposed mechanisms have been controversial. Based on the perturbation approximation under tight-binding theory, the non-thermal effect on tungsten (W) are extensively studied. We demonstrate that the non-thermal effect stemmed from the intense electronic excitations induce dramatic decrease in the melting point of W crystal, as well as non-thermal melting inside the W slab. Our analysis shows that the non-thermal forces are essentially responsible for the drop of melting point of the bulk system. Remarkably, the non-thermal effect combined with surface effect on a W film enhance the ordering of the direction of atomic motion near the surface, preventing melting near the surface area, but leading to non-thermal melting in the interior area of the film. Our work also exhibits a unified relationship between the non-thermal melting and the interatomic forces. This relationship is universal in metals and semiconductors irradiated by ultrafast lasers or swift ions, and has been well established long before.

ACTA

向上滑动阅览英文摘要

When used at high temperature in air, titanium-based alloys form an oxide scale at their surface but also dissolve large amount of oxygen in their metallic matrix and this is a cause of embrittlement. Nitrogen is a secondary oxidant, which also dissolves in and embrittles the alloy. Oxidation experiments of Ti-6Al-2Sn-4Zr-2Mo-0.1Si titanium-based alloy, for 1000 h at 650 °C in synthetic air (N₂-20%O₂) and in a mixture of Ar-20%O₂, showed that nitrogen decreases both oxide scale growth and oxygen dissolution. Atom probe tomography was used to investigate the alloy/oxide interface. The results revealed that the nitrogen effect is due to the formation of interfacial layers of oxynitrides and nitride (Ti₂N), but also to the formation of a nitrogen rich α-titanium-based solid solution, which all act as diffusion barriers for oxygen, because of their low oxygen solubility. A comparison between the experimental results and thermodynamic calculations is also reported.

ACTA

向上滑动阅览英文摘要

Three novel precipitation strengthened bcc alloys which exhibit a smooth microstructural gradient with composition have been fabricated in bulk form by induction casting. All three alloys are comprised of a mixture of disordered A2-(Fe, Cr) and L2₁-ordered (Ni, Fe)₂AlTi type phases both as-cast and after long-term annealing at 900 ℃. The ratio of disordered to ordered phase, primary dendrite fraction, and overall microstructural coarseness all decrease as Cr is replaced by Al and Ti. Differences in phase composition are quantified through domain averaged principal component analysis of energy dispersive spectroscopy data obtained during scanning transmission electron microscopy. Bulk tensile testing reveals retained strengths of nearly 250 MPa up to 900 ℃ for the alloys which contain a nanoscale maze-like arrangement of ordered and disordered phases. One alloy, containing a duplex microstructure with ductile dendritic regions and highly creep resistant interdendritic regions, shows a promising balance between high temperature ductility and strength. For this alloy, tension creep testing was carried out at 700, 750, and 800 ∘C for a broad range of loading conditions and revealed upper bound creep rates which surpass similar ferritic superalloys and rival those of several conventionally employed high temperature structural alloys, including Inconel 617 and 718, at much lower density and raw material cost.