Atomic Scale Structure and Chemical Composition across Order-Disorder Interfaces

Through a combination of aberration-corrected high-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy and three-dimensional atom probe tomography, the true atomic-scale structure and change in chemical composition across the complex order-disorder interface in a metallic alloy has been determined. The study reveals the presence of two interfacial widths, one corresponding to an order-disorder transition, and the other to the compositional transition across the interface, raising fundamental questions regarding the definition of the interfacial width in such systems

ESTIMATING THE STRENGTH OF SINGLE-ENDED DISLOCATION SOURCES IN MICROMETER-SIZED SINGLE CRYSTALS

A recent study indicated that the behavior of single-ended dislocation sources contributes to the flow strength of micrometer-scale crystals. In this study 3D discrete dislocation dynamics simulations of micrometer-sized volumes are used to calculate the effects of anisotropy of dislocation line tension (increasing Poisson's ratio, {nu}) on the strength of single-ended dislocation sources and, to compare them with the strength of double-ended sources of equal length. This is done by directly modeling their plastic response within a 1 micron cubed FCC Ni single crystal using DDS. In general, double-ended sources are stronger than single-ended sources of an equal length and exhibit no significant effects from truncating the long-range elastic fields at this scale. The double-ended source strength increases with Poisson ratio ({nu}), exhibiting an increase of about 50% at u = 0.38 (value for Ni) as compared to the value at {nu} = 0. Independent of dislocation line direction, for {nu} greater than 0.20, the strengths of single-ended sources depend upon the sense of the stress applied. The value for {alpha}, in the expression for strength, {tau} = {alpha}(L){micro}b/L is shown to vary from 0.4 to 0.84 depending upon the character of the dislocation and the direction of operation of the source at {nu} corresponding to that of Ni, 0.38 and a length of 933b. By varying the lengths of the sources from 933b to 233b, it was shown that the scaling of the strength of single-ended and double-ended sources with their length both follow a ln(L/b)/(L/b) dependence. Surface image stresses are shown to have little effect on the critical stress of single-ended sources at a length of {approx}250b or greater. The relationship between these findings and a recent statistical model for the hardening of small volumes is also discussed

Hydrodynamic effects on coalescence.

The goal of this project was to design, build and test novel diagnostics to probe the effect of hydrodynamic forces on coalescence dynamics. Our investigation focused on how a drop coalesces onto a flat surface which is analogous to two drops coalescing, but more amenable to precise experimental measurements. We designed and built a flow cell to create an axisymmetric compression flow which brings a drop onto a flat surface. A computer-controlled system manipulates the flow to steer the drop and maintain a symmetric flow. Particle image velocimetry was performed to confirm that the control system was delivering a well conditioned flow. To examine the dynamics of the coalescence, we implemented an interferometry capability to measure the drainage of the thin film between the drop and the surface during the coalescence process. A semi-automated analysis routine was developed which converts the dynamic interferogram series into drop shape evolution data

Cast aluminium single crystals cross the threshold from bulk to size-dependent stochastic plasticity

Metals are known to exhibit mechanical behaviour at the nanoscale different to bulk samples. This transition typically initiates at the micrometre scale, yet existing techniques to produce micrometre-sized samples often introduce artefacts that can influence deformation mechanisms. Here, we demonstrate the casting of micrometre-scale aluminium single-crystal wires by infiltration of a salt mould. Samples have millimetre lengths, smooth surfaces, a range of crystallographic orientations, and a diameter D as small as 6 μm. The wires deform in bursts, at a stress that increases with decreasing D. Bursts greater than 200 nm account for roughly 50% of wire deformation and have exponentially distributed intensities. Dislocation dynamics simulations show that single-arm sources that produce large displacement bursts halted by stochastic cross-slip and lock formation explain microcast wire behaviour. This microcasting technique may be extended to several other metals or alloys and offers the possibility of exploring mechanical behaviour spanning the micrometre scale

Dislocation structures and anomalous flow in L12_2 compounds

The theory of the anomalous flow behavior of LI$_2$ compounds has developed over the last 30 years. This theory has a foundation in the early estimates of the crystallographic anisotropy of antiphase boundary (APB) energy in these compounds. In spite of this critical aspect of the theory, it is only in the last five years that electron microscopy has been employed to quantify the APB energies and to determine the detailed nature of dislocation structures at each stage of deformation. The recent studies of several research groups have provided essentially consistent new details about the nature of dislocations in Ni$_3$AI and a few other LI$_2$ compounds which exhibit anomalous flow behavior. These studies have introduced several new concepts for the controlling dislocation mechanisms. Additionally, these studies have shown that in Ni$_3$AI, the APB energies have only small variations in magnitude with change of the APB plane (they are nearly isotropic), are relatively insensitive to changes in solute content, and the anisotropy ratio does not correlate with alloy strength. The present manuscript provides a critical review of the new transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results along with the new concepts for the mechanism of anomalous flow. Inconsistencies and deficiencies within these new concepts are identified and discussed. The collective set of electron-microscopy results is discussed within the context of both the mechanical behavior of LI$_2$ compounds and the Greenberg and Paidar, Pope and Vitek (PPV) models for anomalous flow. Conceptual consistency with these models can only be constructed if the Kear-Wilsdorf (K-W) configurations are treated as an irreversible work hardening or relaxation artifact and, specific details of these two models cannot be shown by electron microscopy. Alternatively, the structural features recently revealed by electron microscopy have not been assembled into a self-consistent model for yielding which fully addresses the mechanical behavior phenomenology.La théorie permettant de rendre compte de l'anomalie d'écoulement plastique dans les composés de structure LI$_2$ a été développée depuis trente ans. Celle-ci est fondée sur les premières estimations de l'anisotropie de l'énergie de paroi d'antiphase en fonction du plan cristallographique de défaut. Cependant, malgré cet aspect essentiel de la théorie, c'est seulement durant ces cinq dernières années que les techniques de microscopie électronique ont été employées pour déterminer l'énergie de paroi d'antiphase, les configurations de dislocations et leur structure de coeur pour chaque condition de déformation. Les études récentes de plusieurs équipes ont apporté des résultats reproductibles ou complémentaires sur la nature des dislocations dans Ni$_3$AI et quelques autres composés de structure LI$_2$ qui possèdent également une anomalie de limite élastique. Ces études ont permis de concevoir plusieurs mécanismes régissant les mouvements des dislocations et pouvant être responsables de l'anomalie de limite élastique. En outre, elles ont montré que, dans Ni$_3$AI, l'énergie de paroi varie très peu avec le plan de l'antiphase (elle est pratiquement isotrope), qu'elle est très peu sensible à la quantité de solutés et que le rapport d'anisotropie n'est pas en relation avec la résistance de l'alliage. Une revue critique de ces nouveaux résultats de microscopie électronique et des concepts qui en ont été déduits est présentée dans ce manuscrit. Les incohérences et les déficiences des nouveaux modèles sont identifiés et discutés. L'ensemble des résultats de microscopie électronique est comparé aux deux modèles de Greenberg et de Paidar, Pope et Vitek. Une bonne corrélation entre les observations expérimentales et ces modèles ne peut seulement être construite que si l'on considère que les configurations de Kear-Wilsdorf (K-W) sont des effets de durcissement ou des artefacts de relaxation. Les détails spécifiques à ces modèles seraient alors expérimentalement inaccessibles par les techniques de microscopie électronique. D'un autre côté, les objets récemment identifiés en microscopie électronique n'ont pas reçu de description dans un modèle de déformation qui explique de façon satisfaisante l'ensemble du comportement mécanique