Mechanical Response Evolution Research Articles

Microstructural heterogeneity and its relationship to the strength of martensite

The complex microstructure of ferrous martensite is reflected in its complex mechanical response. In an attempt to highlight how carbon redistribution during quenching and/or low temperature tempering can affect mechanical response, a set of controlled experiments were performed. By rapidly quenching samples it was possible to limit autotempering allowing the evolution of mechanical response and microstructure to be followed with low temperature tempering. This was compared to a situation where the material was more slowly quenched, leading to a highly autotempered state. The gradual transition from elastic to plastic deformation is interpreted based on possible sources of microstructural heterogeneity. Lath-to-lath variations of dislocation density are discussed as a contributor to the development of microstructural heterogeneity during tempering. These results shed light on the possible origins of the continuous-composite like mechanical response of lath martensite proposed in recent work.

Portable Piezospectroscopy system: non-contact in-situ stress sensing through high resolution photo-luminescent mapping

Through the piezospectroscopic effect, certain photo-luminescent materials, once excited with a laser, produce spectral emissions which are sensitive to the stress or strain that the material experiences. A system that utilizes the piezospectroscopic effect for non-contact stress detection over a material's surface can capture important information on the evolution of mechanical response under various conditions. Therefore, the components necessary for piezospectroscopic mapping and analysis have now been integrated into a versatile and transportable system that can be used with photo-luminescent materials in any load frame or on a variety of structures. This system combines compact hardware components such as a portable laser source, fiber optics, spectrograph, charge-coupled device (CCD), and an X-Y-Z stage (with focusing capabilities) with a series of data analysis algorithms capable of analyzing and outputting high resolution photo-luminescent (PL) maps on-site. Through a proof of concept experiment using a compressed polycrystalline alumina sample with sharp machined corners, this system successfully captured high resolution PL maps with a step size of 28.86μm/pixel and located high stress concentrations in critical areas, which correlated closely with the results of a finite element model. This work represents an important step in advancing the portability of piezospectroscopy for in-situ and non-contact stress detection. The instrumentation developed here has strong implications for the future of non-destructive evaluation and non-invasive structural health monitoring.

Evolution of mechanical response and dislocation microstructures in small-scale specimens under slightly different loading conditions

In small dimensions, the flow stress of metallic samples shows a size-dependence such that smaller is stronger, even in nominally strain gradient-free loading conditions. However, the role of the boundary conditions in miniaturised tension or compression tests on the mechanical response and dislocation structure has not been studied in detail. In simulations performed with a three-dimensional discrete dislocation dynamics tool, initial, well-defined dislocation microstructures are loaded in tension with different boundary conditions including superimposed torsion moments. The influence of the loading conditions on details of the evolving dislocation microstructure was investigated by using identical starting configuration. An additional torsion moment significantly influences the dislocation activity since forest-dislocations are generated, but size effect of the flow stress is found to be unchanged.

Thermally induced mechanical and permeability changes around a nuclear waste repository—a far-field study based on equivalent properties determined by a discrete approach

Abstract A numerical investigation is conducted on the impacts of the thermal loading history on the evolution of mechanical response and permeability field of a fractured rock mass containing a hypothetical nuclear waste repository. The geological data are extracted from the site investigation results at Sellafield, England. A combined methodology of discrete and continuum approaches is presented. The results of a series of simulations based on the DFN–DEM (discrete fracture network–distinct element method) approach provide the mechanical and hydraulic properties of fractured rock masses, and their stress-dependencies. These properties are calculated on a representative scale that depends on fracture network characteristics and constitutive models of intact rock and fractures. In the present study, data indicate that the large scale domain can be divided into four regions with different property sets corresponding to the depth. The results derived by the DFN–DEM approach are then passed on to a large-scale analysis of the far-field problem for the equivalent continuum analysis. The large-scale far-field analysis is conducted using a FEM code, ROCMAS for coupled thermo-mechanical process. The results show that the thermal stresses of fractured rock masses vary significantly with mechanical properties determined at the representative scale. Vertical heaving and horizontal tensile displacement are observed above the repository. Observed stress and displacement fields also shows significant dependency on how the mechanical properties are characterized. The permeability changes induced by the thermal loading show that it generally decreases close to the repository. However, change of permeability is small, i.e., a factor of two, and thermally induced dilation of fracture was not observed. Note that the repository excavation effects were not considered in the study. The work presented in this paper is the result of efforts on a benchmark test (BMT2) within the international co-operative projects DECOVALEX III and BENCHPAR.