Direct imaging of short-range order and its impact on deformation in Ti-6Al.

Chemical short-range order (SRO) within a nominally single-phase solid solution is known to affect the mechanical properties of alloys. While SRO has been indirectly related to deformation, direct observation of the SRO domain structure, and its effects on deformation mechanisms at the nanoscale, has remained elusive. Here, we report the direct observation of SRO in relation to deformation using energy-filtered imaging in a transmission electron microscope (TEM). The diffraction contrast is enhanced by reducing the inelastically scattered electrons, revealing subnanometer SRO-enhanced domains. The destruction of these domains by dislocation planar slip is observed after ex situ and in situ TEM mechanical testing. These results confirm the impact of SRO in Ti-Al alloys on the scale of angstroms. The direct confirmation of SRO in relationship to dislocation plasticity in metals can provide insight into how the mechanical behavior of concentrated solid solutions by the material's thermal history

Stored energy maps in deformed metals using spherical nanoindentation

Microstructure changes that occur during the deformation and heat treatments involved in wrought processing of metals are of central importance in achieving the desired properties or performance characteristics in the finished products. However, thorough understanding of the evolution of microstructure during thermo-mechanical processing of metallic materials is largely hampered by lack of methods for characterizing reliably their local (anisotropic) properties at the sub-micron length scales. Recently, remarkable advances in nanoindentation data analysis techniques have been made which now make it possible to obtain quantitative information about the local mechanical properties of constituent individual grains in polycrystalline metallic samples. In this work, a novel approach that combines mechanical property information obtained from spherical nanoindentation with the complementary structure information measured locally at the indentation site, using Electron Backscattered Diffraction (EBSD), is used to systematically investigate the local structure-property relationships in fcc metals. This work is focused on obtaining insights into the changes in local stored energies of polycrystalline metallic samples as a function of their crystal orientation at increasing deformation levels. Furthermore, using the same approach, the evolution of mechanical properties in the grain boundary regions in these samples is studied in order to better understand the role of such interfaces during deformation and recrystallization processes. The findings provide valuable information regarding development of stored energy gradients in polycrystalline materials during macroscopic deformation.Ph.D

Microstructure and local mechanical property evolution during high strain-rate deformation of tantalum

Shear localization is often a failure mechanism in materials subjected to high strain rate deformation. It is generally accepted that the microstructure evolution during deformation and the resulting heterogeneities strongly influence the development of these shear bands. Information regarding the development of local mechanical heterogeneities during deformation is difficult to characterize and as such, constitute is a critical missing piece in current crystal plasticity models. With the recent advances in spherical nanoindentation data analysis, there is now an unprecedented opportunity to obtain insights into the change in local mechanical properties during deformation in materials at sub-micron length scales. In this work, we quantify the evolution of microstructure and local mechanical properties in tantalum under dynamic loading conditions (split Hopkinson pressure bar), to capture the structure- property correlations at the sub-micron length scale. Relevant information is obtained by combining local mechanical property information captured using spherical nanoindentation with complimentary structure information at the indentation site measured using EBSD. The aim is to gain insight into the role of these microstructural features during macroscopic deformation, particularly their influence on the development of mechanical heterogeneities that lead to failure

Assessment of lamellar level properties in mouse bone utilizing a novel spherical nanoindentation data analysis method

In this work, we demonstrate the viability of using our recently developed data analysis procedures for spherical nanoindentation in conjunction with Raman spectroscopy for studying lamellar-level correlations between the local composition and local mechanical properties in mouse bone. Our methodologies allow us to convert the raw load-displacement datasets to much more meaningful indentation stress–strain curves that accurately capture the loading and unloading elastic moduli, the indentation yield points, as well as the post-yield characteristics in the tested samples. Using samples of two different inbred mouse strains, A/J and C57BL/6J (B6), we successfully demonstrate the correlations between the mechanical information obtained from spherical nanoindentation measurements to the local composition measured using Raman spectroscopy. In particular, we observe that a higher mineral-to-matrix ratio correlated well with a higher local modulus and yield strength in all samples. Thus, new bone regions exhibited lower moduli and yield strengths compared to more mature bone. The B6 mice were also found to exhibit lower modulus and yield strength values compared to the more mineralized A/J strain

High-temperature nanoindentation size effect in fluorite material

10.1016/j.ijmecsci.2019.06.020International Journal of Mechanical Sciences159459-46

Microstructure and local mechanical property evolution during high strain-rate deformation of tantalum

Shear localization is often a failure mechanism in materials subjected to high strain rate deformation. It is generally accepted that the microstructure evolution during deformation and the resulting heterogeneities strongly influence the development of these shear bands. Information regarding the development of local mechanical heterogeneities during deformation is difficult to characterize and as such, constitute is a critical missing piece in current crystal plasticity models. With the recent advances in spherical nanoindentation data analysis, there is now an unprecedented opportunity to obtain insights into the change in local mechanical properties during deformation in materials at sub-micron length scales. In this work, we quantify the evolution of microstructure and local mechanical properties in tantalum under dynamic loading conditions (split Hopkinson pressure bar), to capture the structure- property correlations at the sub-micron length scale. Relevant information is obtained by combining local mechanical property information captured using spherical nanoindentation with complimentary structure information at the indentation site measured using EBSD. The aim is to gain insight into the role of these microstructural features during macroscopic deformation, particularly their influence on the development of mechanical heterogeneities that lead to failure