Spatially resolved depth profiling of residual stress by micro-ring-core method

Analysis and control of residual stresses in advanced engineering materials are important issues for reliability assessment at small scales, e.g. for micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) and nano-crystalline and amorphous bulk and thin film materials. This presentation gives an overview of the recent advances in the field of sub-micron scale residual stress assessment by the use of focused ion beam (FIB)-controlled material removal techniques. Materials and The two step method consists of incremental FIB ring-core milling combined with high-resolution in-situ SEMFEG imaging of the relaxing surface and a full field strain analysis by digital image correlation (DIC). The through-thickness profile of the residual stress can be also obtained by comparison of the experimentally measured surface strain with finite element modelling using Schajer’s integral method. In this presentation, we will review the most recent advances in the field of FIB-DIC methods for residual stress assessment at the micro and nano scales, with focus on recent efforts for development of automated procedures for local residual stress analysis of (i) thin films, (ii) microelectronics devices and (iii) polycrystalline and amorphous bulk materials. Practical applications of the method on several systems will be described and discussed. In particular, the issues of residual stress assessment on very thin films and micro-devices, stress depth profiling, stress measurement on amorphous materials and the effects of ion induced damage and elastic anisotropy on the relaxation strains will be reviewed

THE STRUCTURE AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF SPINES FROM THE CACTUS OPUNTIA FICUS-INDICA

The mechanical properties and structure of cactus Opuntia ficus-indica spines were characterised in bending and by means of x-ray diffraction. Using spruce wood cell walls for reference, the modulus of elasticity of Opuntia cactus spines was high in absolute terms, but comparable when specific values were considered, which can be explained by similarities in the cell wall structure of both materials. Differently from the modulus of elasticity, the bending strength of cactus spines was unexpectedly high both in absolute and in specific terms. The unique cellulose-arabinan composite structure of cactus spines, together with high cellulose crystallinity, may explain this finding

Influence of Gradient Residual Stress and Tip Shape on Stress Fields Inside Indented TiN Hard Coating

Nanoindentation of treated surfaces, thin films, and coatings is often used as a simple method to measure their hardness and stiffness. These quantities are technologically highly relevant and allow to qualitatively compare different material and surface treatments but fail to capture the entire extent of the highly complex mechanical interaction between indenter tip and the tested surface. Many studies have addressed this question by analytical or numerical modeling, but they must rely on verification by recalculating indentation curves or ex situ microscopy of surface deformation postexperiment. Herein, results from in situ measurements of the multiaxial stress distributions forming beneath an indenter tip while the tested sample is still under load are presented. A 9 μm-thick TiN hard coating is tested in 1) as-deposited state and 2) shot-peened by Al2O3 particles, using two diamond wedges as indenter tips, with 60° and 143° opening angle, respectively. The results reveal a strong influence of the tip shape on the deformation behavior and the main stress component developing inside the sample while under load. In addition, a crack-closing effect can be attributed to the exponentially declining near-surface compressive residual stress gradient that is present in the shot-peened sample

Gradient residual strain and stress distributions in a high pressure torsion deformed iron disk revealed by high energy X-ray diffraction

High energy X-ray diffraction is used to investigate for the first time the distribution of residual X-ray elastic stresses inside a high pressure torsion (HPT) deformed iron disk with a diameter and thickness of ~ 30 and ~ 8 mm, respectively. In the experiment, a dedicated conical slit system restricts the diffraction gauge volume in three dimensions to ~ 0.45 mm³, which is then used to scan the bulk sample cross-section in a non-invasive manner. Pronounced residuals stress gradients with maximal tensile stresses of ~ 200 MPa are observed along radial and tangential directions and are correlated to the deformation gradient arising from HPT

Experimental Characterization and Modeling of Residual Stress Gradients across Straight and Bent Seamless Steel Tubes

Residual stress gradients across the wall of seamless steel tubes influence decisively the mechanical stability and reliability of automotive and industrial constructions. Irreversible bending moments imposed on the tubes induce gradual and asymmetric elasto-plastic deformation across the tube cross-sections which result in very complex residual stress distributions. The aim of this contribution is to present a novel methodology as well as complementary modeling approach to assess the three-dimensional distribution of triaxial residual stresses in bent steel tubes. The stress characterization was performed using high energy X-ray diffraction at the HEMS beamline of PETRA III synchrotron source in Hamburg as well as using laboratory hole drilling. For the complementary modeling of the stress distribution, a FEM software package DEFORM HT wasused. The results reveal that the stress gradients across the tube wall are primarily influenced by themartensite profile predetermined by the parameters for thermo-mechanical treatment of the tubes. The tube bending causes the formation of continually varying compressive and tensile stresses across the tube circumference whereas the stress magnitude across the wall thickness scales againwith the martensite appearance. Finally the results document the importance of the water cooling process control and the influence of the applied bending radius on the resulting stress distributions as well as related mechanical parameters like fracture toughness and fatigue behaviour

Powder Diffraction Data of Aluminum-Rich FCC-Ti1−xAlxN Prepared by CVD

Fcc-Ti1−xAlxN-based coatings obtained by Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) or Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) are widely used as wear-resistant coatings. However, there exists no JCPDF card of fcc-Ti1−xAlxN for the XRD analysis of such coatings based on experimental data. In this work, an aluminum-rich fcc-Ti1−xAlxN powder was prepared and, for the first time, a powder diffraction file of fcc-Ti1−xAlxN was determined experimentally. In the first step, a 10 µm thick Ti1−xAlxN coating was deposited on steel foil and on cemented carbide inserts by CVD. The steel foil was etched and flakes of a free-standing Ti1−xAlxN layer were obtained of which a part consisted of a pure fcc phase. A powder was produced using the major part of the flakes of the free-standing Ti1−xAlxN layer. Following the Ti1−xAlxN coating, a flake of the free-standing layer and the powder were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), selected area electron diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (SAED–HRTEM), wavelength dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (WDS) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The powder consisted of 88% fcc-Ti1−xAlxN. The stoichiometric coefficient of fcc-Ti1−xAlxN was measured on a flake containing only the fcc phase. A value of x = 0.87 was obtained. Based on the powder sample, the XRD data of the pure fcc-Ti1−xAlxN phase were measured and the lattice constant of the fcc-Ti1−xAlxN phase in the powder was determined to be a = 0.407168 nm. Finally, a complete dataset comprising relative XRD intensities and lattice parameters for an fcc-Ti0.13Al0.87N phase was provided