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Research was conducted on the microstructural evolution and ensuing mechanical response from high-pressure torsion (HPT) processing of Ti-6Al-4V alloy in the as-cast and β-forged conditions with and without 0.1 wt.% boron addition. The boron addition produces refinement of the prior β grains and the (α+β) colonies and introduces an additional TiB phase but this affects the deformation response and the microstructural evolution only at low strains of 0.5 to 5 rotations. In the initial condition the orientation of the (α+β) colonies significantly affects the deformation response and leads to differences in substructure formation in both the as-cast and β-forged conditions. This orientation dependence counts on the initial microstructural differences between the unmodified and the boron modified alloys. At higher strains, there is a similar deformation response and microstructure evolution all the alloys. The hardness variation with equivalent strain is similar for the unmodified and boron modified alloys in as-cast and β-forged conditions and represents various deformation regimes in HPT-processing. Strength modelling confirms a simultaneous contribution from microstructural refinement and increased dislocation density towards the hardness increment during HPT processing. Overall, the as-cast and β-forged Ti-6Al-4V-0.1B alloys possess identical deformation response to the β-forged unmodified Ti-6Al-4V alloy in the initial and intermediate stages. At high levels of straining, all alloys respond in an equivalent manner, thus ruling out any possible effects from additional TiB phase or microstructural refinement for the boron-modified alloys.

Surface severe plastic deformation (S2PD) of additively manufactured/three-dimensional (3D) printed metallic parts is gaining increased attention as a post-manufacturing operation to enhance the material performance in a wide variety of applications. Surface mechanical attrition treatment (SMAT) is an S2PD technique that can yield a nanostructured surface layer induced by compressive stresses and work hardening. In the present study, SMAT was performed on 316L (austenitic) stainless steel (SS) processed by selective laser melting (SLM), and the consequent effects on mechanical response were investigated. The underlying mechanisms of microstructural evolution leading to the formation of nanocrystalline grains resulting from SMAT in SLM 316L SS are elucidated. The interactions between twins and deformation bands act as potential sites for impeding the movement of dislocations, which in turn leads to the formation of stacking faults, twinning, and occasionally transform to a different crystal structure. Twin-twin and/or twin-deformation band intersections sub-divide the matrix grains into smaller cells or low-angle disoriented blocks, which result in the formation of low-angle grain boundaries and finally in nanocrystallization at the surface. The size of nanocrystalline grains increases progressively with depth from the surface to micrometer size grains in bulk. The gradient nanostructure in the additively manufactured alloy after SMAT imparts an unusual combination of strength and ductility that markedly exceeds that of conventional, bulk nanostructured, or even high-performance 316L SS (containing nanoscale deformation twins embedded in submicron-sized austenitic grains obtained by dynamic plastic deformation processes). Analytical models revealed that strengthening results from a combination of grain boundaries and dislocations. The results of the present investigation pave the way for engineering high-performance SS for a variety of engineering applications.

International audience; The recrystallization behaviour of cold-rolled (CR) commercially pure (cp)-titanium was investigated by experiments and simulations. The recrystallization texture in cp-titanium depends upon the deformation texture. The main texture components of the lower deformed (50% CR) material are {1014} , {1013} and{1235} , all having weak intensity, and in the case of 70% cold rolling the texture component is {1013} . For the simulations, a parallel 3D cellular automata (CA) model for recrystallization was employed. The simulation results showed good agreement with the recrystallization kinetics, grain size distribution, microstructure and texture. The mechanism of recrystallization and the evolution of recrystallization texture were found to depend on the site of nucleation, i.e., whether it is formed at grain boundaries, within the grain, in the lath region or in the highly deformed region such as shear bands.

Surface modification of metallic biomedical implants are often performed using chemical or mechanical methods in order to make them more bio-active or resistant against surface-induced phenomena such as wear, corrosion or corrosion fatigue. In the present study, one such method, known as Surface Mechanical Attrition Treatment (SMAT), has been studied in terms of its effects on the mechanical and functional response of a newly developed low modulus metastable β Ti-Nb-Ta-O alloy. The hardness of the surface was found to increase up to a certain duration of SMAT, due to increased degree of deformation on the surface. This was also supported by an increase in the peak broadening with respect to SMAT duration. Apart from surface hardening, SMAT also resulted in improvement of corrosion resistance of the Ti-Nb-Ta-O alloy due to formation of a more stable passive film.

In this study, high energy synchrotron radiation was used to perform an in-situ diffraction experiment in medium Mn Fe-6Mn-0.5C-1Al alloy to study the elemental partitioning and consequent austenite phase evolution at different stages, namely, during heating, holding and cooling. It has been observed that the austenite phase fraction significantly increases on annealing at the inter-critical annealing temperature and remains stable at room temperature. The austenite phase stability at room temperature is due to the rapid partitioning of manganese (Mn) and carbon (C) during annealing. The relative change in d-spacing (Δd/d) during heating-cooling confirms the partitioning of alloying elements during inter-critical annealing.

Toward engineering a new generation of low modulus titanium alloys for orthopedics, we present new insight into the control of nanoscale precipitation in a metastable β Ti-32Nb-2Sn alloy. Nanoscale α precipitates from β phase were obtained by one-step heat treatment at 500°C. The nanoscale precipitates markedly improve the tensile strength (≈1070MPa) while affording lower modulus (≈82GPa) than conventional metallic biomaterials. Besides age-hardening at 500°C, an unexpected phenomenon of age-softening is observed even in the presence of nanoscale α precipitates when aged at 600°C. This effect is attributed to significant softening of the β phase due to compositional changes, as revealed by the elemental mapping in transmission electron microscopy (TEM). TEM elemental mapping reveals that Sn partitions preferentially in the β phase on aging at 500°C and does not show any preferential partition on aging at 600°C. The passive layer at the surface enriches in Sn content after aging at 500°C and consequently affects the electrochemical behavior of the alloy. The alloy supports the proliferation, and osteogenesis of human mesenchymal stem cells. This study provides new understanding for processing Ti-Nb-Sn alloys in biomedical applications. Keywords: Titanium alloys, Ti-Nb-Sn, Aging, Corrosion, Biocompatibility, Biomedical alloys

In dissimilar friction stir welding (FSW), the weld nugget is composed of two elements, which are mechanically mixed. This microstructure helps enhance the mechanical properties when they are homogeneously mixed, and the particles are sub-micron in size. Therefore, it is important to understand the mechanism of the particle formation and their distribution for engineering the mechanical properties of the weld. In the present investigation, dissimilar FSW between commercial purity Al and Ti has been carried out. The weld nugget consisted of distributed Ti particles in an Al matrix. The distribution of the Ti particles in the weld nugget was characterized using X-ray micro-computed tomography (XCT). Microstructural evolution in Ti and Al was examined using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with an energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), X-ray diffraction and electron back-scattered diffraction (EBSD). Hardness and tensile tests were carried out to determine the integrity of the welds. The XCT result shows that the weld nugget contains Ti particles of variable size. The finer particles of Ti are distributed homogeneously in the weld nugget, unlike large particles. The deformation mechanisms and microstructural evolution of the Ti interface and Al matrix are investigated using EBSD. It is observed that the microstructure of both Ti and Al is substantially refined. However, for a given grain in Al, the boundary is of mixed character, namely low- and high-angle boundaries. Hardness data of the weld indicate large variation within the nugget region. The tensile test sample revealed that the failure of the sample occurs on the Al side of the weld. The fractograph indicates ductile and brittle modes of fracture with a bimodal distribution of dimples at the surface. Lack of twining and fine grains (40 to 5 mu m) at the Ti interface indicates high-temperature deformation. Deformation of Ti at low temperature and high strain rate is caused by adiabatic shear banding (ASB). In these shear bands, a high level of grain refinement is observed and is a path for easy crack propagation. It is proposed that the ASB-controlled deformation of Ti leads to a recrystallized microstructure at the interface and fragmentation of Ti. These Ti particles undergo further fragmentation to form smaller particles. On the other hand, microstructural evolution in Al is gradual because of the high stacking fault energy, which leads to continuous dynamic recrystallization (CDRX) through the dynamic recovery (DRV) mechanism. The mechanical properties of the weld depend on the characteristics of particles in the Al matrix. Proper control of the fragmentation and distribution of Ti particles and interface property can lead to superior mechanical properties of the weld.

A low modulus beta Ti-Nb-Ta-O alloy was subjected to heat treatment to investigate its phase stability upon aging. The resultant effect on the mechanical and functional properties was systematically evaluated. The aging of the beta-only microstructure, obtained by solutionizing and quenching, resulted in the formation of ultrafine alpha-precipitates with increasing order of size as the aging temperature increased from 400 degrees C to 600 degrees C. The variation in the size of alpha-precipitates effected the mechanical properties at the three different aging temperature. The highest hardening observed at 400 degrees C was associated with macroscopic embrittlement, whereas age softening was observed in samples aged at 600 degrees C due to coarsening of precipitates and softening of the beta-matrix. In contrast, aging at 500 degrees C resulted in about 32% increase in tensile strength from the beta-solutionized condition. As the samples aged at 500 degrees C showed optimum combination of mechanical properties among the aged samples, these were further characterized for their electrochemical, tribological and biological responses. The fretting wear studies showed that the wear rate of the solution-treated samples increased after aging due to the higher corrosion rate leading to a higher rate of tribocorrosive dissolution and formation of a transfer layer harder than that of solution treated sample. The Ti-Nb-Ta-O alloy supported the attachment and proliferation of osteoblasts similar to that on commercially pure Ti. Taken together, this work provides new insights into the preparation of next-generation Ti alloys for biomedical applications with high strength and low modulus through microstructural control induced by heat treatment.

Shock-induced plasticity in FCC crystals has been demonstrated in many experimental and numerical simulation studies. Even though some theories have been proposed with regard to dislocation nucleation, the phenomenon occurring in the elastically shock-compressed region and the elastic-plastic transition region, which might be the origin region for dislocation nucleation, is largely unexplored. In this work, we present a molecular dynamics simulation of the shock compression of a Cu single crystal along the < 110 & rang; direction specifically focusing on the mechanisms observed in the elastically compressed and the elastic-plastic transition regions. A distribution of planes of high and low atomic volume is observed in the elastically compressed region near the shock front, but the distribution becomes random as the elastic-plastic transition regime is approached. Density variations are also observed. It is observed that the formation of the defects initiates through local atomic shuffling/rearrangement. Shear stress distribution shows values greater than those required for homogeneous nucleation, and Shockley partials are observed at a certain region behind the shock front. Potential energy variations are also observed in these regions, explaining the mechanisms leading to dislocation nucleation. The present findings shed new insight into the mechanism of dislocation nucleation in shock-induced single-crystal FCC metals.

In this study gradient plastic strain accommodation and nanotwinning are investigated in detail using electron back scattered diffraction (EBSD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques in AISI 321 steel after laser shock peening without applying surface protective coatings, employing multiple zigzag peening passes (3 times and 5 times). On the peened specimens, three regions, as identified by residual stress and hardness results, namely, thermally affected region (from top peened surface to 20 mu m), severe plastically deformed region (beneath 20 mu m up to 100 mu m depth) and minor plastically deformed region (beneath 100 mu m up to 180 mu m depth) were observed. Significant grain orientation spread and increased low-angle grain boundaries were noticed in severe plastically deformed region. The accommodation of plastic strain after laser peening gradually decreased from 20 mu m from peened surface. Nanotwins of varying width, in particular, multiple twinning within twin-matrix after 5 times laser peening passes were observed after peening. Interestingly nanotwins were bundled within an austenitic grain after peening with 5 passes.

BiCuSeO is a promising thermoelectric material having earth-abundant non-toxic constituents and favourable thermoelectric properties like ultra-low thermal conductivity. In this study, Mn+2 has been introduced at the Bi+3 site to increase hole concentration as well as Seebeck coefficient, through aliovalent doping and magnetic impurity incorporation respectively. Samples were prepared through two-step solid state synthesis with the composition Bi1-xMnxCuSeO(x = 0.0, 0.04, 0.06, 0.08, 0.10 and 0.12). X-ray diffraction patterns confirmed the tetragonal (space group: P4/ nmm) crystal structure of BiCuSeO as well as phase purity of the samples. The Seebeck coefficient and electrical resistivity had a decreasing trend with increasing doping fraction owing to the generation of charge carriers. The samples with x = 0.04 and 0.06 showed temperature independent Seebeck coefficient above 523 K, which is a signature of small polaron hopping. While the Seebeck coefficient of the samples with x = 0.08, 0.10 and 0.12 increased above 523 K due to the combination of localized and extended states. The thermal conductivity was dominated by the lattice part of the thermal conductivity. As a result of moderate Seebeck coefficient and low electrical resistivity, the highest power factor of 0.284 mW m(-1)-K-2 was obtained for the Bi Mn-0.92 ( 0.08) CuSeO at 773 K, leading to a maximum zT of 0.4 at 773.

Electron Backscattering Diffraction (EBSD) is a well-known technique which is primarily used to analyse the microstructural features in metallic materials, including the orientation relationship between microstructural constituents. However, its versatility has not yet been critically utilized to establish crystallographic relationships involved in phase transformation of ceramics. In view of the significance of transformation twinning in ceramics on mechanical properties, the representative orientation relationships in twinned grains of CaTiO3 is investigated using EBSD. It is observed that the matrix/twin pairs of CaTiO3 have misorientation angles at 87°, 90° and 98°. The misorientations associated with the boundaries between twin/twin pairs formed by different twinning orientation relationships are noted at 90°, 91°, 92° and 98°. On the basis of the orientation relationships, the crystallography of cubic to orthorhombic and tetragonal to orthorhombic phase transformations in CaTiO3 is explored. The most favorable orientation relationships pertaining to such a phase transformation are ( 001 ) o [ 100 ] o || ( 03 1 ¯ ) c [ 3 ¯ 13 ] c between parent cubic and daughter orthorhombic phases and ( 001 ) o [ 100 ] o || ( 1 1 ¯ 2 ¯ ) t [ 8 ¯ 2 ¯ 3 ¯ ] t between parent tetragonal and daughter orthorhombic phases of CaTiO3.

In this study, one of the severe plastic deformation (SPD) techniques, Equal Channel Angular Pressing (ECAP) has been successfully applied to the Al-Cu-Li alloy AA2195 at 250 degrees C and the development of microstructure, texture and mechanical properties has been studied. A systematic analysis has been carried out by using EBSD and TEM to understand the microstructural features, and the nature of different precipitates presence in the alloy AA2195. Microstructural features indicate considerable grain refinement leading to an average grain size of 2.8 +/- 0.7 mu m after 4 ECAP passes. Continuous dynamic recrystallization (CDRX) has been identified as the mechanism that leads to the formation of fine grain structure in the alloy AA2195 during the warm ECAP process. TEM results confirm the distribution of strengthening precipitates delta'(Al3Li),beta(Al3Zr) and T-1(Al2CuLi) in the alloy. The overall texture has become weak after ECAP processing and has been simulated using Visco-plastic self-consistent simulation (VPSC). The evaluation of mechanical properties indicates a substantial increment in hardness, strength properties with a minor reduction of ductility after 4 passes. Low mechanical property anisotropy is expected in the processed AA2195 alloy due to its weak texture. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Welding of aluminum (Al) and titanium (Ti) is difficult and challenging due to their differences in chemical and physical properties, and the evolution of brittle intermetallic compounds. Formation of critical intermetallics can be minimized by using an interlayer material, which leads to ternary mechanical mixing in the weld nugget. In the present investigation, a zinc (Zn) interlayer has been used during friction stir welding (FSW) of Al�Ti. It has been found that tool offset position is one of the important parameters in controlling the amount of ternary mechanical mixing of materials. The mechanical mixing of Zn with Al and Ti alters the phase evolution and restricts the formation of the brittle Al 3 Ti intermetallic compound. The optimum tool offset exhibits a homogeneous mechanical mixing and inhibits the formation of brittle intermetallic compounds, which leads to a substantial increment in the mechanical properties of the weld. © 2019, The Indian Institute of Metals - IIM.

In Ti-Nb-Ta-Zr based beta-titaniumalloys intended for orthopedic applications, Zr does not affect the stability of low modulus beta-phase, unlike Nb and Ta. The present study attempts to investigate the influence of Zr on the overall mechanical and functional responses of a Ti-Nb-Ta-Zr-O alloy in contrast to a new Ti-Nb-Ta-O alloy. In each material, different crystallographic textures were produced by varying the processing route. While both alloys were found to show low elastic modulus values due to their beta-only microstructures, Ti-Nb-Ta-O alloy had lower elastic modulus because of its favorable crystallographic orientation caused by absence of Zr. The tensile strength values were remarkably high for both due to the presence of interstitial oxygen. The hardening effect of Zr was also evident from the higher strength of Ti-Nb-Ta-Zr-O as compared to Ti-Nb-Ta-O alloy. Although the corrosion resistance and in vitro biological behavior of the two alloys were satisfactory, the Ti-Nb-Ta-Zr-O alloy showed lower corrosion rate and improved osteoblast attachment than the Ti-Nb-Ta-Oalloy. Thus, whereas the two alloys show promising performance in terms of their mechanical and functional response, presence of Zr marginally improves the performance in the Ti-Nb-Ta-Zr-O for orthopedic applications. (C) 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license.

Severe plastic deformation processes involve large grain rotations due to the action of different modes of plastic deformation and other microstructural changes which lead to characteristic texture formation. The present review deals with the evolution of texture during the most important severe plastic deformation processes, namely Equal Channel Angular Pressing (ECAP), High Pressure Torsion (HPT), Friction Stir Processing (FSP), Accumulative Roll Bonding (ARB) and Multi-Axial Forging (MAF). First three of the processes are shear based, while the latter two are plane-strain based. The textures formed during ECAP are visually different from simple shear textures due to (i) the inclination of the shear plane, (ii) additional contribution of non-shear based deformation. The relative intensities of texture components are function of deformation micro-mechanisms, amount of straining and configuration of the strain path. The texture evolved during HPT is very similar to simple shear texture, with additional consequences of microstructural changes that occur due to very large deformations. The textures formed in FSP process also resemble shear textures. On the other hand, texture evolution during ARB and MAF can be described using plane strain deformation. The present review deals with texture evolution during severe plastic deformation as a function of nature of processes and type of materials.

BiCuSeO is a promising thermoelectric material not only because of its good thermoelectric properties, but also earth abundant constituents. In this report, Pb and Na have been simultaneously doped at the Bi site of BiCuSeO. Doping Pb is beneficial for the Seebeck coefficient whereas doping Na maintains the hole mobility. Both the dopants increase the carrier concentration and reduce the thermal conductivity by point-defect scattering. The samples with nominal composition Bi0.985-xNa0.015PbxCuSeO ( x=0.00, 0.04, 0.06 and 0.08) were prepared using two-step solid-state synthesis. The X-ray diffraction pattern reveals a small amount of Bi2O2.5 phase (

In an expansive field of metals, magnesium has been trending of late in automobile, aerospace, defense, sports, electronic and biomedical sectors as it offers an advantage in lightweighting. In the realm of Mg-based materials, Mg nanocomposites have a good combination of specific strength, thermal and damping properties, but lack a high ductility and do not typically undergo a large amount of uniform elongation. The current work bridges this gap by reporting a magnesium nanocomposite (Mg�1.8Y/1.5Y 2 O 3 ) that exhibits a significantly high tensile ductility of 36. Microstructural characterization of the nanocomposite revealed that the striking presence of micron-Mg�Y phases and nano-Y 2 O 3 particles in matrix led to a bimodal particle distribution which affected the dynamic recrystallization mechanism. It was also observed that the addition of Y 2 O 3 nanoparticles weakened the texture of nanocomposite. The dominating influence of texture weakening over other mechanisms (grain refinement and alleviated micro-strain) on the plastic deformation/ductility of the nanocomposite is highlighted, and the contribution of nanoparticles toward the enhancement of ductility is ascertained. In contrast to the previous studies where Mg-based nanocomposites are known to have improved strengths, this approach can be used to develop magnesium nanocomposites that are exceptional. © 2019, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.

International audience; The High Pressure Tube Twisting (HPTT) process was first proposed in 2009 as an efficient new Severe Plastic Deformation (SPD) process. Since then it has been successfully applied on many different materials and the results have been reported in several publications and thesis works. The purpose of this overview is to present and evaluate the main results of the published papers and thesis works and also to present new contributions. Special attention is given to the strain gradient which appears in the tube wall for which a new empirical formula is presented.

Deformation mechanisms of cold drawn and electropolished nickel microwires are studied by performing in-situ monotonous and cyclic tensile tests under synchrotron radiation. X-ray diffraction tests allow probing elastic strains in the different grain families and establishing a link with the deformation mechanisms taking place within the microwires. The measurements were carried out on several microwires with diameters ranging from as-drawn 100 µm down to 40 µm thinned down by electropolishing. The as-drawn wires exhibit a core-shell microstructure with fiber texture dominant in core and heterogeneous dual fiber texture and in the shell. Reduction of specimen size by electropolishing results in a higher yield stress and tensile strength along with reduced ductility. In-situ XRD analysis revealed that these differences are linked to the global variation in microstructure induced by shell removal with electropolishing, which in turn affects the load sharing abilities of grain families. This study thus proposes a new way to increase ductility and retain strength in nickel microwires across different diameters by tuning the microstructure architecture.

We report a rare experimental evidence of an exceptional increase in grain-boundary diffusion-controlled growth kinetics of product phase by grain-refinement due to minor alloying. Ti-addition during growth of V3Ga superconductor by coupling V and Cu(Ga)-solid solution by bronze process increases the critical current density (Jc) significantly. In this manuscript, the exact role of Ti-addition is studied based on systematic and quantitative diffusion-couple experiments that mimic the bronze-method. Metallurgical aspects like microstructural features and growth mechanism are assessed critically. Results are compared when Ti is added either to V or Cu(Ga) and to both for a fixed Ga content. Ti-addition to Cu(Ga) compared to V increases growth kinetics of V3Ga more significantly. Quantitative EPMA-analysis indicates that a mixture of Ti-free and Ti-containing V3Ga phase grows when Ti is added to V. Small precipitates grow along with Ti-containing V3Ga when Ti is added only to Cu(Ga). TEM-study indicates that these precipitates are rich in V and Ti. Much finer grains found in the precipitate-containing region lead to higher growth kinetics due to grain-boundary diffusion. EBSD-analysis shows equiaxed grains and relatively random in orientation because of alloying. This study indicates that Ti-addition to Cu(Ga) is most effective considering metallurgical aspects that influence Jc. Keywords: Superconductor material, Microstructure, Grain size distribution, Grain boundary diffusion, Microtexture

The hot deformation behavior of Nb–1 wt.%Zr alloy was studied using uniaxial compression tests carried out in vacuum to a true strain of 0.6 in the temperature range of 900 to 1700 °C and the strain rate range of 3 × 10−3 to 10 s−1. The optimum regime of hot workability of Nb–1Zr alloy was determined from the strain rate sensitivity (m) contour plots. A high m of about 0.2 was obtained in the temperature and strain rate range of 1200–1500 °C and 10−3 to 10−1 s−1 and 1600–1700 °C and 10−1 to 1 s−1. Microstructure of the deformed samples showed features of dynamic recrystallization within the high strain rate sensitivity domain. Compared to the study on Nb–1Zr–0.1C alloy, Nb–1Zr showed a lower flow stress and an optimum hot working domain at lower temperatures. In the 1500 to 1700 °C range the apparent activation energy of deformation for Nb–1Zr was 259 kJ mol−1, the stress exponent 5, and the activation volume about 200 to 700 b3. Keywords: Nb–1Zr alloy, Hot deformation, Strain-rate sensitivity, Dynamic recrystallization

This investigation reports an unusual effect of hold time (up to 10seconds) on retardation in the growth of creep-fatigue small cracks at 550 degrees C in Grade 91 steel. The observed phenomenon was interpreted by elucidating multiple processes that are active in the plastic zone at the crack tip. To this effect, microstructural and mechanical responses of the crack tip plastic zone were compared with the mechanical and microstructural responses during low cycle fatigue/creep-fatigue. It is proposed that the stress relaxation that occurs during the hold time can reduce the stress intensity in the plastic zone of crack tip thus, contributing to retardation in the small crack growth rate. Aside from stress relaxation, stress intensity in the crack tip can be further reduced by the phenomenon of cyclic softening that occurs because of plasticity-induced microstructural coarsening. Separately, the contribution of oxidation-induced crack tip shielding is also considered to explain the observed effects of hold time on crack growth rates. Taken together, a combination of stress relaxation, enhanced rate of cyclic softening, and higher degree of oxidation with the introduction of a hold time is demonstrated to be responsible for reduction in the crack growth under creep-fatigue conditions.

The most important issue associated with dissimilar welding is the formation of detrimental intermetallics and consequent reduction in mechanical properties of the weld. It was expected that addition of an interlayer would modify the pattern of the intermetallic formation. The present investigation deals with Friction Stir Welding of aluminum (Al) to titanium (Ti) in presence of niobium (Nb) interlayer. X-ray Computed Tomography results highlighted that fine particles of both Ti and Nb are homogeneously distributed. Large Ti particles are substantially fragmented whereas large Nb particles remain as flakes. Microstructural features of the nugget zone indicated a complex mixing of materials. Jointing had been perceived through elemental diffusion at the interfaces of Al/Ti and Ti/Nb. However, Nb restricted the reaction between Al and Ti, and acted as an efficient interlayer to retard the formation of brittle Al3Ti intermetallic phase. Mechanisms of microstructural evolution in Al side of the weld have been identified as Dynamic Recovery, Dynamic Recrystallization and particle stimulated nucleation. Significant improvement in the tensile ductility had been observed due to the presence of finer particles. The presence of Nb in the weld nugget influences the microstructural evolution and tensile properties of the weld by reducing the formation of intermetallics.

The welding of aluminum (Al) and titanium (Ti) is difficult and challenging due to the differences in their chemical and physical properties, and the formation of brittle intermetallic phases. In the present experiment, a zinc (Zn) interlayer was used during friction stir welding of Al to Ti. The weld was characterized in detail to understand the mechanisms associated with microstructural evolution and improvement in mechanical properties of the weld. X-ray computed tomography results reveal three-dimensional distribution of particles and flakes of titanium in the weld nugget. It was also observed that Ti particles are inhomogeneously distributed in the weld and the distribution depends on their morphology. Such a distribution of Ti was informative in understanding material flow. In addition, the consolidation of Zn in the Al matrix reveals the nature of material flow in the weld nugget as well. The importance of the Zn interlayer and mechanism of phase formation was explored in this study. It was characterized that the mechanical mixing of Zn with Al and Ti alters phase evolution and restricts the formation of conventional Al3Ti intermetallic phase. The presence of zinc homogenizes elemental distribution and inhibits the formation of brittle intermetallic phases, which leads to a substantial improvement in mechanical properties of the weld.

In this study, deformation behavior of AM30 magnesium alloy is investigated in the hot working regime and empirical relations are developed. Compression tests were performed in the 0.001-10 s−1 strain rate range and 423-623 K temperature range to obtain the mechanical properties. The compression curves were fitted using two approaches, viz. piecewise linear fitting and a Johnson–Cook type relation. Piecewise linear fit is found to be appropriate for describing the mechanical behavior in the dynamic recrystallization (DRX) regime as compared to the proposed Johnson–Cook type relation. The Johnson–Cook type model is not able to capture the essential feature of DRX, particularly at high strain rates.

In this paper, a novel technique to enhance yield strength of twinning induced plasticity (TWIP) steels has been reported by producing a gradient microstructure. Such a microstructure is generated using surface mechanical attrition treatment (SMAT). The SMAT processed steel exhibits a composite microstructure, comprising of hard phase at the surface and soft phase at the core. The deformed microstructure consists of a graded distribution containing of twins, high density of dislocations and nano-crystalline grains. As a combined effect of the three, a significant improvement in the yield strength is observed without much loss of ductility. (C) 2018 Acta Materialia Inc Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

We report here, interrelation between orientation dependent spheroidization 1] and bulk texture evolution during static annealing of warm-rolled Ti-6Al-4V alloy. Weakening of basal fibre (ND parallel to < 0001 >) and complementary strengthening of prism fibre (RD parallel to < 10 (1) over bar0 >) occur on annealing, which is unique and contrary to previous reports. Texture transition is conjugated with two counteracting processes, both being alpha-colony orientation dependent: spheroidization of alpha(P)-phase increasing spread of the fibres, and variant selection during alpha(P) -> beta -> alpha(s) transformation strengthening only the prism fibre. Basal fibre weakens from orientation dependent spheroidization on annealing, while prism fibre intensity is maintained or increased from alpha(s) selection depending on annealing durations. (C) 2018 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

During Friction Stir Welding (FSW) of aluminum (Al 2024) to titanium (Ti-6Al-4V), it is observed that titanium fragments at the interface get distributed in the weld nugget. These particles are both coarse and fine in size. Such a particle distribution, particularly due to presence of coarse particles, is expected to negatively impact the mechanical properties of the welds. In an effort to further fragment the coarse Ti particles, FSW was performed with an additional pass in the weld nugget region. Characterization was done using X-ray Micro-Computed Tomography (XCT), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) equipped with an Energy Dispersive Spectrometer (EDS), X-ray Diffraction and Electron Back-scattered Diffraction (EBSD) method. Tensile tests were performed to determine the mechanical properties of the weld. The Ti particles of various shapes and sizes were seen to be inhomogeneously distributed in the weld nugget even after the second pass. A detailed observation revealed that the larger particles (as flakes) were inhomogeneously distributed but the finer particles (more spherical) were homogeneously distributed in the weld nugget. It is observed that the weld after second pass contains a higher number of finer Ti particles. The variation in particles size and number fraction is due to the continuous fragmentation that occurs during the processing. Phase analysis reveals the formation of intermetallic compounds such as Al3Ti and AlTi in the welds. A detailed analysis discloses that the fraction of intermetallics in the weld nugget increases in the second pass when compared to the first pass. Aluminum in the weld nugget was substantially refined and recrystallized with grains consisting of mixed types of grain boundaries, which points to the mechanism of Continuous Dynamic Recrystallization (CDRX) through Dynamic Recovery (DRV). The EBSD analysis also reveals that the weld after second pass promotes the development of a high fraction of recrystallized grains (87%) when compared to that of first pass (78%). The second pass resulted in a significant improvement in the ultimate tensile strength (from 231 ± 8 MPa to 271 ± 6 MPa) and ductility (from 7.4 ± 0.3% to 9 ± 1.0%) of the weld. Such improvement in joint properties is analyzed considering the relative mechanical properties of the different zones across the weld nugget. A spring model has been employed to characterize the fracture behavior of the welds. This method and mechanism may be used to produce composite and dissimilar welds with unique mechanical properties by employing multi-pass processing and welding methodology.

In the present work, the influence of strain path on the evolution of microstructure, crystallographic texture, and magnetic properties of a two-phase Fe-Cr-Ni alloy was investigated. The Fe-Cr-Ni alloy had nearly equal proportion of austenite and ferrite and was cold rolled up to a true strain of 1.6 (thickness reduction) using two different strain paths-unidirectional rolling and multi-step cross rolling. The microstructures were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD), while crystallographic textures were determined using X-ray diffraction. For magnetic characterization, B-H loops and M-H curves were measured and magnetic force microscopy was performed. After unidirectional rolling, ferrite showed the presence of strong alpha-fiber (rolling direction, RD//aOE (c) 110 >) and austenite showed strong brass type texture (consisting of Brass (Bs) ({110}aOE (c) 112 >), Goss ({110}aOE (c) 001 >), and S ({123}aOE (c) 634 >)). After multi-step cross rolling, strong rotated cube ({100}aOE (c) 110 >) was developed in ferrite, while austenite showed ND (normal direction) rotated brass (similar to 10 deg) texture. The strain-induced martensite (SIM) was found to be higher in unidirectionally rolled samples than multi-step cross-rolled samples. The coherently diffracting domain size, micro-strain, coercivity, and core loss also showed a strong correlation with strain and strain path. More strain was partitioned into austenite than ferrite during deformation (unidirectional as well as cross rolling). Further, the strain partitioning (in both austenite and ferrite) was found to be higher in unidirectionally rolled samples.

In the present study, microstructure and texture development during single and multiple pass friction stir processing (FSP) of a strain hardenable wrought Al Mg alloy (AA5086) was investigated. Subtle differences were observed while comparing with heat treatable alloys in the nucleation mechanism of the recrystallized microstructure observed in the nugget zone. Strain induced boundary migration was the dominant mechanism of microstructure evolution in the alloy, which influenced the crystallographic texture development by weakening it. Micro-texture measurements reveal variations in the crystallographic texture along the thickness of the sample. Recrystallization texture components were observed in the nugget zone indicative of a pronounced static recrystallization in the alloy as compared to the heat treatable alloys. Bulk texture measurements within the nugget zone of the optimally processed sample reveal a relatively dominant C component of shear texture. Average grain size in the nugget zone remained the same and the bulk crystallographic texture components were retained during multiple-pass FSP. The lower strain energies involved and the enhanced recovery processes due to the high temperature materials processing of the alloy during FSP resulted in a stable microstructure and texture. In summary, FSP could be promoted as a competent and suitable secondary processing technique for the bulk production of ultra-fine-grained materials in strain hardenable aluminium alloys.

A novel in-situ synthesis technique has previously been proposed for the synthesis of magnesium based nano composites, by exploiting the thermodynamic reactions, to fabricate nanoparticles in-situ during the melt processing. Although the microstructural aspects of formation of such nanocomposites have been dealt with previously, the implications of the same on the texture and hence on mechanical properties are not certain. In the present work, the evolution of crystallographic texture and its influence on tension-compression asymmetry (Tensile yield strength divided by Compressive yield strength) and thereby, the impact on fatigue failure mechanisms is studied by comparing the behaviour of Mg-1.8Y/1.53ZnO nanocomposite and its monolithic alloy, Mg-1.8Y. The Mg-1.8Y/1.53ZnO nanocomposite revealed a very strong two component texture, not akin to the weak texture of Mg-1.8Y alloy. The texture was attributed to the loss of Y in the matrix and consumption of Y in formation of Y2O3 nanoparticles in-situ and the formation of the beta(1)' (Mg-Zn') rods during extrusion. Further, this texture exhibited by the nanocomposite favoured high twinning activity under compression, thereby causing strong asymmetry in the tensile and compressive yield strengths. The fatigue tests indicated a superior performance of the nanocomposite as compared to the alloy. The deformation and damage mechanisms, when studied in correlation with the asymmetry revealed that the asymmetric materials exhibit steeper S-N curves as compared to the symmetric materials.

Magnesium has been trending of late in automobile, aerospace, defense, sports, electronic and biomedical sectors as it offers an advantage in light-weighting. In aluminum, titanium, and steel dominated aerospace and defense sectors, applications of Mg were banned/restricted until recently due to perceived easy ignition and inability to self-extinguish immediately. Strength is generally inversely related to ductility, weak texture and unrelated to ignition resistance, making it challenging to optimize all four concurrently in a material. We address this challenge by designing a low density (~1.76 g.cm−3) in-situ Mg nanocomposite. It is a resultant of a sequence of in-situ reactions during melt processing and extrusion. The in-situ formed Y2O3 nanoparticles exhibit coherency with matrix and lead to development of large amount of elastic and plastic strain fields around them. These nanoparticles and secondary phases (Mg2Ca and Mg2Y) are responsible for the nanocomposite’s high tensile strength (~343 MPa). A weak texture mediated tensile ductility of 30% and compressive failure strain of 44% is observed. Further, the ignition temperature increased to 1045 °C (near the boiling point of Mg) due to the formation of protective surficial oxide layers aided by the presence of insulating Y2O3 nanoparticles, rendering the nanocomposite outperform other traditional commercial Mg-based materials.

The Cretaceous greenhouse climate was accompanied by major changes in Earth’s hydrological cycle, but seasonally resolved hydroclimatic reconstructions for this anomalously warm period are rare. We measured the δ18O and CO2 clumped isotope Δ47 of the seasonal growth bands in carbonate shells of the mollusc Villorita cyprinoides (Black Clam) growing in the Cochin estuary, in southern India. These tandem records accurately reconstruct seasonal changes in sea surface temperature (SST) and seawater δ18O, allowing us to document freshwater discharge into the estuary, and make inferences about rainfall amount. The same analytical approach was applied to well-preserved fossil remains of the Cretaceous (Early Maastrichtian) mollusc Phygraea (Phygraea) vesicularis from the nearby Kallankuruchchi Formation in the Cauvery Basin of southern India. The palaeoenvironmental record shows that, unlike present-day India, where summer rainfall predominates, most rainfall in Cretaceous India occurred in winter. During the Early Maastrichtian, the Indian plate was positioned at ~30°S latitude, where present-day rainfall and storm activity is also concentrated in winter. The good match of the Cretaceous climate and present-day climate at ~30°S suggests that the large-scale atmospheric circulation and seasonal hydroclimate patterns were similar to, although probably more intense than, those at present.

Commercially pure titanium (cp-Ti) is a metallic biomaterial used in orthopedic and cardiovascular applications. Here, surface nanocrystalline cp-Ti produced by surface mechanical attrition treatment (SMAT) is shown to exhibit multifunctional properties for orthopedic and cardiovascular applications. Nanocrystallization simultaneously enhanced the stem cell response and fatigue resistance in simulated body fluid of cp-Ti collectively required for load bearing orthopedic applications. Stem cell attachment and proliferation was enhanced by 20% and number of cycles to failure increased by 15% after nanocrystallization. Nanocrystalline Ti was also found to be suitable for cardiovascular applications due to its improved hemocompatibility. A 40% reduction in attachment of platelets and their activation was noted on the surface of nanocrystalline Ti. While high surface hardness and compressive residual stress improved the corrosion-fatigue resistance, the biological response of stem cells and platelets was governed by the physico-electro-chemical properties of the surface oxide on cp-Ti. Modulation in properties of the oxide layer altered the protein adsorption, evaluated by means of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and direct protein quantification thereby, augmenting the biological response. Taken together, it is demonstrated that surface nanocrystallization by SMAT is a promising step towards producing high performance Ti implants for orthopedic and cardiovascular applications. Keywords: Surface nanocrystallization, Surface mechanical attrition treatment, Corrosion-fatigue, Stem cells, Hemocompatibility, Protein adsorption, Surface oxide

Effect of change in strain path during rolling and its role in the development of crystallographic texture after deformation and then after recrystallization has been studied for Ni-40wt%Co which is a medium stacking fault energy (SFE) material. Results indicate that textures developed after unidirectional rolling and multi-step cross-rolling are quite different which also leads to different texture evolution after recrystallization. Microstructure of both UDR and cross rolled sample shows band type of feature within the grain having lesser band density for cross rolled samples. After recrystallization unidirectionally rolled sample shows bimodal whereas cross rolled sample shows equiaxed grain size distribution. But all the samples show large fraction of annealing twins. It has been shown that in all cases formation of annealing twins have large influence on the texture transition after recrystallization.

Low-density steels with different aluminium contents have been investigated with an aim to examine the occurrence of different strengthening mechanisms leading to its higher strength. A composition corresponding to 6.8 wt% aluminium has been studied to understand the underlying strengthening mechanisms. Different factors contributing to the strengthening mechanisms have been separately analyzed. Microstructural features have been analyzed using Mossbauer spectroscopy, small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), X-ray line profile analysis and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The enhanced yield strength of the low-density steel containing 6.8 wt% Al was attributed to the strengthening effects arising from the ferrite grain size, dislocations incorporated during processing, ordered phase formation and the presence of Al atoms in the solid solution. Each of these operating mechanisms was modelled by using its constitutive equation for example, grain size strengthening by classical Hall-Petch equation and the strengthening from dislocations by Taylor's equation. In addition, the formation of nano-sized ordered phase was evaluated by TEM, Mossbauer spectroscopy, SAXS and hence order strengthening was modelled by using the size and volume fraction (as determined by TEM and SAXS). Strengthening due to lattice frictional stress required for dislocation motion was also incorporated into the model.

In this work, the effect of notch acuity on fracture behavior of rolled AZ31 Mg alloy is investigated by conducting mode-I fracture experiments using four point bend specimens with different notch root radii. Digital Image Correlation (DIC) technique is employed to determine the angle of rotation of the specimen and the fracture toughness is obtained from moment versus rotation curves. It is found that the fracture toughness J(c) increases linearly with notch root radius beyond a threshold value and is almost constant below this limit. This trend is rationalized from fractographic observations near the crack initiation region which show predominantly quasi-brittle features for fatigue pre-cracked specimen and dimples of increasing size in notched specimens with enhancement in notch root radius. Significant tensile twinning is noticed in the ligament for all specimens, especially near their far edge. This is found to impart substantial toughening even in the fatigue pre-cracked specimen which fails by a locally quasi-brittle mechanism. Finally, the strong increase in J(c) with notch root radius beyond a threshold is interpreted using two ductile fracture initiation models. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

In the present investigation, an effort has been made to understand the effect of aluminum addition to alpha Mg-Li alloys. The corresponding composition Mg-4Li-xAl (x = 0, 2, 4 and 6 wt.%) alloys have been prepared by stir casting route under an argon environment. Extrusion was carried out at 300 A degrees C with the extrusion ratio of 15:1. Significant grain refinement was observed after extrusion. X-ray diffraction-based investigation of the cast and extruded alloys showed the presence of intermetallic compounds such as Mg17Al12 and AlLi in the Al-rich alloys namely, Mg-4Li-xAl (x = 4 and 6 wt.%). These precipitates were also present in the extruded plus annealed samples, indicating the stability of the precipitates at high temperature. The bulk x-ray texture measurement revealed a crystallographic texture where the c-axis of the h.c.p crystals was perpendicular to the extrusion direction (ED) for extruded sample. A texture transition was observed on annealing. The c-axis was oriented parallel to the ED. Mechanical properties of the cast, extruded and extruded plus annealed material illustrate that the addition of Al led to enhancement in hardness, yield strength and ultimate tensile strength.