Dislocation Pipe Research Articles

Toward all-dislocation-ceramics for high ionic conductivity produced by dry pressing at relatively low temperatures with and without ultrasound

Numerical simulations of the evolution of mobile and immobile dislocations in ceramics under applied pressure in dry pressing at a relatively low temperature are performed in order to study the possibility of production of all-dislocation-ceramics of solid electrolytes, which are expected to have extremely high ionic conductivity without dendrite formation because the diameter of a dislocation pipe is considerably larger than the distance between neighboring dislocations. The present numerical simulations are only for the densification process by plastic deformation of grains under high pressure under the assumption that the compaction of particles by their rearrangement is completed beforehand. By the plastic deformation, new dislocations are generated inside the grains. The required total dislocation density of about 1017 m−2 seems to be achievable under some conditions of dry pressing according to the present numerical simulations. Very short ultrasound irradiation at the beginning of the dry pressing sometimes considerably increases the dislocation density, while for other cases, it even considerably decreases the dislocation density due to enhanced annihilation of mobile dislocations by ultrasound.

Critical assessment of hydrogen pipe diffusion at dislocations in metals

Hydrogen-dislocation interactions have always been a crucial problem in understanding and predicting the long-standing hydrogen embrittlement (HE) phenomenon in structural metals. Particularly with respect to hydrogen diffusion, dislocations have often been assumed with the ability to facilitate hydrogen transport via dislocation pipe diffusion (DPD). Yet the experimental and theoretical studies supporting DPD remain elusive and even controversial. In this work, hydrogen kinetics at dislocations in two representative metal systems, fcc Ni and bcc Fe, were systematically investigated combining comprehensive atomistic and kinetic activation relaxation technique simulations to reveal atomic details while enabling long-time (i.e., microsecond to second) hydrogen diffusion analysis. The dislocations were found to favor hydrogen trapping and provide regions of low migration barriers for hydrogen. However, these regions of low barriers only lead to localized fast short-circuit H diffusion, but do not translate into DPD over long time, which is attributed to fast hydrogen diffusion pathways along the dislocation line direction being periodically bound by high hydrogen migration barriers. Using the polyhedral structural units (PSUs) as an effective tool, we further quantitatively analyzed the correlation between hydrogen diffusion behaviors and local dislocation structures, illustrating the structural origin leading to local short-circuit diffusion and inhibition of DPD at dislocations. The new mechanistic insights gained not only are critical for understanding hydrogen-dislocation interaction, but also advances the general knowledge on hydrogen-microstructure interaction in structural metals.

On the surface segregation of Sn in cold-rolled Fe under continuous annealing conditions

The surface segregation of Sn in cold-rolled Fe-0.03Sn and Fe-0.01Sn (at.%) model alloys was investigated for annealing parameters characteristic of continuous galvanizing lines (CGLs). The most significant increase in surface coverage occurred during linear heating between 500 and 675 °C, where no significant change in segregation was observed with isothermal holding for 60 – 480 s at peak annealing temperatures of 675 – 825 °C. While the bulk diffusion of Sn in Fe determined the segregation rate during extended isothermal holding up to 10800 s, it could not account for the rapid increase in coverage during heating. It was determined that Sn segregation was accelerated during linear heating by rapid diffusion along dislocation pipes in the cold-rolled starting microstructure. Integrating the decrease in diffusivity due to recrystallization into the McLean model for interfacial segregation resulted in an experimentally verified description of segregation kinetics during linear heating. It was also able to predict the experimentally observed increase in segregation when the linear heating rate between 500 °C and 675 °C was decreased from 5 to 1 °C/s. No significant difference in surface segregation was observed between the 0.01 and 0.03 at.% Sn addition for isothermal holding of 480 s or less, which can be explained by the saturation of easy adsorption sites. A bond-breaking model was used to illustrate their origin from imperfect coordination within the surface layer. As significant surface segregation can be achieved within the CGL processing window, Sn microalloying appears as a promising strategy to improve galvanized coating quality.

Creep-induced redistribution of alloying elements in CZ1 zirconium alloys

Introducing minor alloying elements is an effective strategy to improve the corrosion and mechanical properties of zirconium alloys for nuclear applications. During in-reactor service, external environment and stress can affect the distribution of alloying elements, substantially changing the degradation process of zirconium alloys. To date, there is a lack of in-depth understanding of the interaction between creep and microchemistry changes. Here, we conducted systematic transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atom probe tomography (APT) investigations to address creep-induced redistribution of alloying elements in CZ1 (Zr-Sn-Nb-Fe-Cr-Cu) zirconium alloy with different initial microstructures. Nb, Fe, Sn, and Cu are found to co-segregate at grain boundaries. The higher the intermediate annealing temperature, the larger the Gibbsian interfacial excesses of solute elements are. We further demonstrate that creep can reduce the excess value of Fe at grain boundaries due to the coarsening of Zr-Fe-Cr second phase particles via grain boundary and dislocation pipe diffusion. At the same time, the excess value of Sn is increased by diffusing from the matrix to grain boundaries. Moreover, Cu as a minor element in the concentration range of 0.05–0.3 wt.% is found to segregate at dislocations to form the Cottrell atmosphere and develop Cu-rich nanoclusters for suppressing dislocation motion. The new understanding of the segregation and clustering of minor alloying elements provides guidance for developing zirconium alloys with enhanced creep resistance.

Intermediate-temperature creep behaviors of an equiatomic VNbMoTaW refractory high-entropy alloy

As one of refractory high-entropy alloys (RHEAs), VNbMoTaW is considered to be a promising candidate for elevated-temperature application. However, its creep behavior is rarely reported. In the present work, the compressive creep behaviors of an equiatomic VNbMoTaW RHEA with a grain size of 138 ± 36 μm were well studied over an intermediate temperature range (973–1173 K) and under high applied stress (130–520 MPa). The stress exponent of the alloy is found to remain stable (∼1) at relatively low temperatures (973–1073 K), whereas a stress-dependent transition behavior occurs at high temperatures (1123–1173 K), i.e., the stress exponent of the alloy changes from ∼1 in the low stress region (130–390 MPa) to ∼ 4 in the high stress region (390–520 MPa). Meanwhile, the creep activation energy increases from 139 to 156 kJ mol−1 at low temperatures to 307–373 kJ mol−1 at high temperatures. The low stress exponent and low activation energy at low temperatures suggest that the creep is controlled by dislocation pipe diffusion. The low stress exponent and relatively high activation energy in the high-temperature low-stress region suggest that the creep is controlled by lattice diffusion. In the high-temperature high-stress region, the prevalent dislocations detected by the post-mortem microstructural observation, the high stress exponent, and high activation energy suggest that the creep deformation is controlled by a lattice diffusion mediated dislocation climb process. These findings provide a fundamental understanding of the creep behavior and deformation mechanism of VNbMoTaW, which can be applied to design advanced creep-resistant RHEAs.

Influence of dislocations on ionic conductivity and dendrite formation in solid electrolytes

In order to study the recently proposed strategy to tailor the electrical property of ceramics by the introduction of dislocations, numerical calculations are performed on the influence of parallel straight dislocations on ionic conductivity and dendrite formation in single-crystal solid electrolytes. If the diameter of a dislocation pipe is more than √2 times larger than the distance between neighboring dislocations, the ionic current density is nearly uniform on the electrode and the dendrite formation would be avoided. Furthermore, under the condition, the mean ionic conductivity is higher than that without dislocations by several orders of magnitude. It may be practically possible to increase the ionic conductivity by several orders of magnitude without dendrite formation by introducing appropriate dislocations because the required dislocation density in the order of 1017 m−2 has already been reported experimentally although the reports were not for metal oxides.

Dislocation structures after creep in an Al-3.85 %Mg alloy studied using EBSD-KAM technique

The electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) technique is used to investigate the dislocation structures formed after steady-state creep deformation of an Al-3.85%Mg alloy. This material is crept at two different stress levels, corresponding to the so-called power-law and power-law breakdown regimes. The results show that, regardless of the creep stress level, the strain tends to localize, leading to the formation of intragranular bands. The thickness of such bands is larger when the material is tested at loads corresponding to the power-law breakdown. This suggests enhanced diffusion by dislocation pipes.

Localized Defects in Cold Die-Compacted Metal Powders

In powder metallurgy (PM), the compaction step is fundamental to determining the final properties of the sintered components. The deformation and defectiveness introduced in the powder material during uniaxial die compaction can be correlated to the activation and enhancement of the dislocation pipe diffusion, a lattice diffusion mechanism during the sintering process. Its coefficient depends on the dislocation density. The powder particles are mostly deformed along the direction of the compaction (longitudinal direction) rather than along the compaction plane; consequently, the contact areas perpendicular to the direction of the compaction present a higher density of dislocations and lattice defects. This high density intensifies the shrinkage along the direction of compaction. To demonstrate the influence of uniaxial cold compaction on the material’s stress state the powder particles and their contacts were modeled using spheres made of pure copper. These spheres are compacted in a die at different pressures to better analyze the system’s response at the grade of deformation and the consequent influence on the material’s behavior during the sintering. In the different zones of the sphere, the micro-hardness was measured and correlated to the concentration of dislocations using the model for indentation size effect (ISE). After the compaction, the spheres were more deformed along the longitudinal than the transversal direction. The results obtained using hardness indentation show differences in the dislocation density between the undeformed and deformed spheres and, in the case of the compacted sphere, between the contact area along the longitudinal and the transversal direction.

Diffusion Laws and Modified Pascal’s Triangles

Four main diffusion laws: 1D diffusion in a planar bulk sample or random walks along a straight line x=α1t1/2; 3D diffusion or random walks from a point source and forming small spherical particle: x=α2t1/3; 1D+1D diffusion or random walks along a straight plane with simultaneous outflow into balk: x=α3t1/4; 1D+2D diffusion or random walks along a straight line with simultaneous outflow into balk: x=α4t1/6 are analysed theoretically using mathematical modelling and appropriate physical models. Convex shape of the diffusion profile near the top along a dislocation pipe with simultaneous outflow into balk is predicted. It is shown that the cone angle near the top is increasing with time. Literature experimental data are used for analysis.

Hardness and corrosion behavior of an Al-2Mn alloy with both microstructural and chemical gradients

An Al–2Mn binary alloy with gradient microstructure and chemistry near its surface was fabricated by combining surface mechanical treatment and post-ageing treatment. TEM results indicate that the minimum grain size of the topmost surface layer is below 100 nm. As revealed by SIMS results, Mn is depleted in the surface layer with ~2 μm in thickness, which is due to the “short-circuit” diffusion along grain boundaries and dislocation pipes. Microhardness and corrosion testing results revealed that both hardness and corrosion resistance increase substantially with this gradient design. XPS and Mott–Schottky results demonstrate that the oxide film of the gradient Al–Mn alloy is thinner and denser than that of the coarse-grained sample. Our design method of obtaining gradient distribution both in microstructure and chemistry near metal surface lights a pathway for overcoming the trade-off between properties such as strength and corrosion in 3000 series Al alloys.

Three Regimes in the Tribo‐Oxidation of High Purity Copper at Temperatures of up to 150 °C

Surface oxidation of high‐purity copper is accelerated under tribological loading. Tribo‐oxide formation at room temperature is associated with diffusion processes along defects, such as dislocations or grain boundaries. Herein, the additional influence of temperature on the tribo‐oxidation of copper is investigated. Dry, reciprocating sliding tests are performed with a variation of the sample temperature between 21 and 150 °C. Microstructural changes are monitored and analyzed with state‐of‐the‐art electron microscopy techniques. Oxide layer formation through thermal oxidation is observed for 150 °C, but not for lower temperatures. As the temperature increases from room temperature up to 100 °C, a significantly stronger tribo‐oxidation into deeper material layers and an increase in the amount of formed pores and oxides is detected. Up to 75 °C, diffusional processes of oxygen along grain boundaries and dislocation pipes are identified. Starting at 100 °C, CuO is detected. Hence, tribological loading significantly alters the CuO formation in comparison with static oxidation. Along with the CuO formation at temperatures ≥90 °C, the oxide layer thickness decreases while the friction coefficient increases. The observations broaden the understanding of the elementary mechanisms of tribo‐oxidation in copper. Eventually, this will allow to systematically customize surfaces showing tribo‐oxidation for specific tribological applications.

Indentation creep behaviour of the magnesium AZ61–0.7Si–xBi cast alloys

Creep behaviour of the AZ61–0.7Si–xBi cast magnesium alloys were studied by Vickers indentation testing under constant load of 5 N in the temperature range of 423–523 K. The results indicate that increasing Bi content improved the creep resistance at all test temperatures. This was caused by the higher volume fraction of the thermally stable Mg3Bi2 intermetallic particles, as the principal strengthening cause, which compensated the possible effects of the lower amount of the Mg2Si particles. According to the obtained stress exponents of about 6.7 and activation energies in the range of 84.6–88.1 kJ mol−1, dislocation pipe diffusion was suggested as the dominant creep mechanism.

Diffusion from a constant source along nonequilibrium dislocation pipes

We propose new theoretical description of diffusion features along nonequilibrium dislocation pipes. The excess energy of nonequilibrium dislocation pipes is introduced. The effective diffusion coefficient in nonequilibrium dislocation is calculated and analyzed taking into account the relaxation processes during diffusion annealing. The equation of nonequilibrium diffusion from a constant source in dislocation pipes is derived. The analytical solution of formulated equation describing the diffusant concentration in dislocation pipe is found. The diffusant concentration and the amount of diffusant at a fixed depth increase with an increase in nonequilibrium dislocation excess energy. We observe the maximum of time dependence of diffusant concentration caused by an increase in nonequilibrium dislocation excess energy and relaxation processes during diffusion annealing.

Switching Interacting Particle Systems: Scaling Limits, Uphill Diffusion and Boundary Layer

This paper considers three classes of interacting particle systems on {{mathbb {Z}}}: independent random walks, the exclusion process, and the inclusion process. Particles are allowed to switch their jump rate (the rate identifies the type of particle) between 1 (fast particles) and epsilon in [0,1] (slow particles). The switch between the two jump rates happens at rate gamma in (0,infty ). In the exclusion process, the interaction is such that each site can be occupied by at most one particle of each type. In the inclusion process, the interaction takes places between particles of the same type at different sites and between particles of different type at the same site. We derive the macroscopic limit equations for the three systems, obtained after scaling space by N^{-1}, time by N^2, the switching rate by N^{-2}, and letting Nrightarrow infty . The limit equations for the macroscopic densities associated to the fast and slow particles is the well-studied double diffusivity model. This system of reaction-diffusion equations was introduced to model polycrystal diffusion and dislocation pipe diffusion, with the goal to overcome the limitations imposed by Fick’s law. In order to investigate the microscopic out-of-equilibrium properties, we analyse the system on [N]={1,ldots ,N}, adding boundary reservoirs at sites 1 and N of fast and slow particles, respectively. Inside [N] particles move as before, but now particles are injected and absorbed at sites 1 and N with prescribed rates that depend on the particle type. We compute the steady-state density profile and the steady-state current. It turns out that uphill diffusion is possible, i.e., the total flow can be in the direction of increasing total density. This phenomenon, which cannot occur in a single-type particle system, is a violation of Fick’s law made possible by the switching between types. We rescale the microscopic steady-state density profile and steady-state current and obtain the steady-state solution of a boundary-value problem for the double diffusivity model.

Development of a novel metastable beta titanium alloy with ultrahigh yield strength and good ductility based on laser power bed fusion

Metastable β titanium alloys are known for excellent ductility and corrosion resistance but relatively low yield strength (YS) which restricts their application. In this study, a novel high strength metastable β titanium alloy, Ti-6Mo-5.5Cr-1Co-0.1C (wt%) was developed based on laser powder bed fusion ( L -PBF). It is shown that the as-fabricated material was dominated by mixed columnar and equiaxed β grains decorated by numerous fine TiC flakes. The precipitates were interconnected to each other and connected to grain boundaries (GBs) by dislocations. Solution treatment at 850 °C led to dissolution of intra-granular TiC and diffusion of C to GBs through dislocation pipes, which created vast carbide-free β grain interior areas that are good for deformation and promoted formation of bulk and polygonal TiC along GBs. The GB TiC particles acted as effective O getter of the matrix, which together with significant ω precipitation helped stabilize the β matrix. As a result, β → α′′ phase transformation and mechanical twinning have been suppressed. The samples deformed mainly through dislocation slip and ω → β reverse phase transformation. Ultrahigh YS and decent ductility have thus been achieved in the newly developed metastable β titanium alloy. The current work paves the way for developing high performance metastable β titanium alloys through additive manufacturing.

Influence of the heating rate on sintering shrinkage of plain iron

ABSTRACT The effect of heating rate on shrinkage of plain iron was investigated on green specimens with different green densities: 6.5, 6.9 and 7.3 g cm−3. On increasing the heating rate, the anisothermal shrinkage in the alpha field starts at higher temperatures but its amount does not change. The activation energy corresponds to that of dislocation pipe diffusion, confirming the role of the structural defects accumulated in the particles during cold compaction. The isothermal shrinkage increases on increasing the heating rate, likely due to the effect of surface diffusion at lower temperatures that reduce the driving force, without a measurable effect on shrinkage. The effect of green density is the same for anisothermal and isothermal shrinkage, with a minimum (in absolute value) at the intermediate green density.

Intrinsic Diffusivities Ratio Analysis in Double Multiphase Systems

Our investigations show that electrochemical corrosion of copper is faster than electrochemical corrosion of aluminium at temperatures below 100°C. Literature data analysis shows that the Al atoms diffuse faster than the Cu atoms at temperatures higher than 475°C, Al rich intermetallic compounds (IMCs) are formed faster in the Cu-Al system, and the Kirkendall plane shifts toward the Al side. Electrochemical corrosion occurs due to electric current and due to diffusion. An electronic devise working time, for example, depends on initial copper cover thickness on aluminium wire, connected to the electronic devise, temperature, and volume and dislocation pipe diffusion coefficients, so copper, iron, and aluminium electrochemical corrosion rates are investigated experimentally at room temperature and at temperature 100°C. Intrinsic diffusivities ratios of copper and aluminium at different temperatures and diffusion activation energies in the Cu-Al system are calculated by proposed here methods using literature experimental data. Dislocation pipe and volume diffusion activation energies of pure iron are calculated separately by earlier proposed method using literature experimental data. Aluminium dissolved into NaCl solution as the Al3+ ions at room temperature and at temperature 100°C, iron dissolved into NaCl solution as the Fe2+ (not Fe3+) ions at room temperature and at temperature 100°C, copper dissolved into NaCl solution as the Cu+ ions at room temperature and as the Cu+ and the Cu2+ ions at temperature 100°C. It is found experimentally that copper corrosion is higher than aluminium corrosion, and ratio of electrochemical corrosion rates, kCu/kAl>1, decreases with temperature increasing, although iron electrochemical corrosion rate does not depend on temperature below 100°C. It is obvious, because the melting point of iron is more higher than the melting point of copper or aluminium. It is calculated that the copper electrochemical corrosion rate is approximately equal to aluminium electrochemical corrosion at temperature about 300°C, so copper can dissolve into NaCl solution mostly as the Cu2+ ions at temperature about 300°C. The ratio of intrinsic diffusivities, DCu/DAl<1, increases with temperature increasing, and the intrinsic diffusivity of aluminium could be approximately equal to the intrinsic diffusivity of copper at temperature about 460oC. Intrinsic diffusivities ratios in the Cu-Zn system at temperature 400°C and in the Cu-Sn system at temperatures from 190°C to 250°C are analyzed theoretically using literature experimental data. Diffusion activation energies and pre-exponential coefficients for the Cu-Sn system are calculated combining literature experimental results.

Effect of natural and artificial ageing on steel mechanical properties and fracture toughness

The operating conditions of welded structures of shipbuilding steels, including operation at northern latitudes, determine high requirements for their quality. Materials used for such structures should guarantee stable mechanical properties, good processability during hull fabrication and serviceability at subzero temperatures. Strain aging is due to the thermodynamic non-equilibrium of steel structure in its initial state and gradual transition to the equilibrium state provided the diffusion mobility of interstitial atoms is sufficient. In unfavorable conditions, this can lead to the degradation of properties during processing (cold straightening, bending, welding), operation or long-term storage. The paper studies the probability of natural and artificial ageing processes in steels of different chemical compositions due to bulk diffusion and carbon dislocation core diffusion (dislocation pipe diffusion). The effect of strain ageing on mechanical properties and the CTOD parameter value has been examined.

Impression creep behavior of Babbitt alloy SnSb8Cu4

Abstract The creep behavior of the babbitt alloy SnSb8Cu4 was studied by impression under constant stress in the range of 15-30 MPa and at temperatures in the range of 333-393 K. OM, XRD, and SEM technologies were used to investigate the microstructural evolution of the material before and after creep. In conclusion, the stress exponent of SnSb8Cu4 in impression condition is 2.7. The creep activation energy is 46.7 kJ × mol-1, which reveals that the creep mechanism is based on dislocation glide controlled by dislocation pipe diffusion. With an increase in creep temperature and stress, the thermal vibration of the atom and atomic diffusion velocity increase. Moreover, Cu6Sn5 phase cannot effectively hinder dislocation glide and strengthen the material in a condition of high creep temperature and high stress, thus resulting in the decrease of creep resistance. After creep, the grains are elongated along the deformation flow direction both near the pressure punch edge and in the hemispherical zone beneath the pressure punch. The most severe deformation zone is near the pressure punch edge, whereas, no detectable deformation is found in other areas. It is concluded that impression creep is a localized phenomenon.

Laser powder bed fusion of 17–4 PH stainless steel: A comparative study on the effect of heat treatment on the microstructure evolution and mechanical properties

17–4 PH (precipitation hardening) stainless steel is commonly used for the fabrication of complicated molds with conformal cooling channels using laser powder bed fusion process ( L -PBF). However, their microstructure in the as-printed condition varies notably with the chemical composition of the feedstock powder, resulting in different age-hardening behavior. In the present investigation, 17–4 PH stainless steel components were fabricated by L -PBF from two different feedstock powders, and subsequently subjected to different combinations of post-process heat treatments. It was observed that the microstructure in as-printed conditions could be almost fully martensitic or ferritic, depending on the ratio of Cr eq /Ni eq of the feedstock powder. Aging treatment at 480 °C improved the yield and ultimate tensile strengths of the as-printed components. However, specimens with martensitic structures exhibited accelerated age-hardening response compared with the ferritic specimens due to the higher lattice distortion and dislocation accumulation, resulting in the “dislocation pipe diffusion mechanism”. It was also found that the martensitic structures were highly susceptible to the formation of reverted austenite during direct aging treatment, where 19.5% of austenite phase appeared in the microstructure after 15 h of direct aging. Higher fractions of reverted austenite activates the transformation induced plasticity and improves the ductility of heat treated specimens. The results of the present study can be used to tailor the microstructure of the L -PBF printed 17–4 PH stainless steel by post-process heat treatments to achieve a good combination of mechanical properties.