Macroscopic Shear Research Articles

Laboratory Acoustic Emissions Reveal Stress Rotation From Preparation Processes Toward Fault Slip on Varying Surface Roughness in Granular Materials

AbstractWe investigate the influence of fault roughness on physical damage prior to large laboratory rock failure and the evolution of the local stress field surrounding the fault zone as macroscopic shear slip approaches. To achieve this, we analyze acoustic emission (AE) data from displacement‐driven rock friction experiments conducted on porous sandstone samples containing either a saw‐cut (smooth) or a rough fault. Using high‐quality AE‐derived focal mechanisms and two stress tensor inversion approaches–one considering double‐couple (DC) components and the other one incorporating non‐DC components, we examine the temporal evolution of the local stress tensor for both smooth and rough faults. Our results show no significant differences between the two stress inversion methods, indicating that non‐DC components have no significant influence on the resulting stress tensors in our experiments. As macroscopic shear slip approaches, the principal stress axes surrounding the fault zone gradually rotate, regardless of the initial fault roughness. The observed evolution of stress tensors correlates with the evolving partitioning between volumetric and shear deformation, as derived from moment tensor inversion of AEs. Compared to the smooth fault, the rough fault exhibits higher local stress heterogeneity and more erratic fluctuations in AE source‐related parameters as loading progresses.

Analysis of Macroscopic and Mesoscopic Shear Characteristics of the Interface between a Geogrid and a Rubber–Sand Mixture under Normal Cyclic Loading

Analysis of Macroscopic and Mesoscopic Shear Characteristics of the Interface between a Geogrid and a Rubber–Sand Mixture under Normal Cyclic Loading

Modeling yield stress scaling and cyclic response using a size-dependent theory with two plasticity rate fields

This work considers a recently developed finite-deformation elastoplasticity theory that assumes distinct tensorial fields describing macro-plasticity and micro-plasticity, where the latter is determined by a higher-order balance equation with associated boundary conditions and evolves according to a contribution to the Helmholtz free-energy density that depends on a Nye-Kröner-like dislocation density tensor and is referred to as the defect energy. The theory is meant to set the onset of micro-plasticity at a stress level lower than that activating macro-plasticity, such as micro-plasticity aims at explaining and characterizing the increase in yield stress with diminishing size. Additionally, the formulation relies on smooth elastic–plastic transitions for both plasticity fields, even if focusing on rate-independent response. This investigation demonstrates the capability of the proposed theory to predict size-effects of interest in small-scale metal plasticity by focusing on multiple loading cycles and, prominently, on the scaling of the apparent yield stress with sample size, the latter being a crucial open issue in the recent literature on modeling size-dependent plasticity. To this end, this work considers the specialization of the theory to small deformations and proposes a finite element implementation for the constrained simple shear problem. Importantly, it is shown that the simplest treatment of plastic strain gradients, which consists of adopting a quadratic defect energy, can be conveniently used to predict reliable size-effects, although in the literature on strain gradient plasticity quadratic defect energies have always been associated with a relatively poor description of size-effects. In fact, in the present theory the limits of the quadratic defect energy are overcome by leveraging on the complex interplay between micro- and macro-plasticity fields. The capability of the proposed theory is quantitatively demonstrated by predicting results from the literature that are obtained from discrete dislocation dynamics simulations on planar polycrystals of grains with variable size subjected to macroscopic pure shear.

Crystallization in load-controlled shearing flows of monosized spheres.

Identical, inelastic spheres crystallize when sheared between two parallel, bumpy planes under a constant load larger than a minimum value. We investigate the effect of the inter-particle friction coefficient of the sheared particles on the flow dynamics and the crystallization process with discrete element simulations. If the imposed load is about the minimum value to observe crystallization in frictionless spheres, adding small friction to the granular assembly results in a shear band adjacent to one of the planes and one crystallized region, where a plug flow is observed. The ordered particles are arranged in both face-centered cubic and hexagonal-closed packed phases. The particles in the shear band are in between the crystalline state and the fluid state, but the latter is never reached, which results in a large shear resistance. As the particle friction increases, the shear band disappears, and the ordering in the core region is destroyed. A significant portion of the particles are in a fluid state with a zero shear rate, leading to a substantial and unexpected reduction in the shear resistance with respect to the frictionless case. If the imposed load is increased well above the minimum from the onset of crystallization, we observe the formation of one shear band in the core, where the particles are again between the crystalline state and the fluid state, surrounded by two crystallized regions near the boundaries, in which most of the particles are in the face-centered cubic phase and translate as a rigid body with the boundaries themselves. In this case, the macroscopic shear resistance is independent of the particle friction.

Magnetoelastic properties in isotropic magnetic elastomers

Purpose. To investigate the influence of magnetic field on the elastic characteristics of isotropic magnetic elastomer.Methods. The behavior of magnetic particles in the sample was studied based on the idea of a hierarchical model of chain formation combined with a lattice model of particle arrangement. When studying systems with chain aggregates, a statistical distribution function was introduced for the number of particles in a chain, which made it possible to calculate the number of chains in a composite with a given particle concentration. The nonlinear magnetization of particles in the sample was modeled in the form of the semi-empirical Frohlich-Kaenely law, which made it possible to calculate the magnetization of materials with good accuracy, both in weak and strong magnetic fields.Results. The paper presents a model describing the elastic properties of an isotropic magnetic elastomer synthesized without the effect of a magnetic field. The elastomer consists of particles with a volume concentration of 28.6%, capable of magnetization, the size of which is 10 microns. These particles are embedded in a polymer matrix. Under the action of a magnetic field, chains of magnetic particles are formed in the polymer. It is assumed that the length of such chains is less than the size of the sample in the direction of the field. The dependences of the shear modulus of the composite on the external magnetic field are determined.Conclusion. A physical model is proposed that successfully predicts the magnetorheological effect in the studied composite material with a soft matrix and randomly distributed particles synthesized without a magnetic field. The research is based on an improved lattice theory that takes into account the probabilistic distribution of particles due to the polymerization process of the composite. A hierarchical principle of forming particle chains is proposed, where their number doubles at each stage. It has been established that chains of such length make the main contribution to the macroscopic shear modulus of the composite. The agreement between theoretical results and experimental data confirms the adequacy of the proposed model for describing the behavior of a magnetic elastomer in an external magnetic field.

Permeability Development During Fault Growth and Slip in Granite

AbstractIn tight crystalline rocks faults are known to be substantially more hydraulically conductive than the rock matrix. However, most of our knowledge relies on static measurements, or before/after failure data sets. The spatio‐temporal evolution of the permeability field during faulting remains unknown. Here, we determine at which stage of faulting permeability changes most, and the degree of permeability heterogeneity along shear faults. We conducted triaxial deformation experiments in intact Westerly granite, where faulting was stabilized by monitoring acoustic emission rate. At repeated stages during deformation and faulting we paused deformation and imposed macroscopic fluid flow to characterize the overall permeability of the material. The pore pressure distribution was measured along the prospective fault to estimate apparent hydraulic transmissivity, and propagation of the macroscopic shear fault was monitored by locating acoustic emissions. We find that average permeability increases dramatically (by two orders of magnitude) with increasing deformation up to peak stress, where the fault is not yet through‐going. Post‐peak stress, overall permeability increases by a factor of three. However, at this stage we observed local heterogeneities in permeability by up to factors of eight, ascribed to a partially connected fracture network. This heterogeneity decreases with fault completion at residual shear stress. With further slip on the newly formed fault, the average hydraulic transmissivity remains mostly stable. Our results show that permeability enhancement during shear rupture mostly occurs ahead of the rupture tip, and that strongly heterogeneous permeability patterns are generated in the fault cohesive zone due to partial fracture connectivity.

Experimental study on the effect of mixing parameters on the rheological behaviour and micro-flocculation structure of ultrafine Portland cement slurry

The penetration diffusion of ultrafine Portland cement (UPC) slurry is closely related to its rheological behaviour and micro-flocculation structure. To date, there has been a need for more research investigating the impact of mixing parameters on the macro-micro hydrodynamic behaviour of UPC slurries. In this study, a series of macroscopic rheomechanical characterisation tests and microscopic in-situ tests of the flocculation structure of UPC slurries under various mixing parameters were conducted systematically by using a rotational rheometer and a focused beam reflectance measurement (FBRM) system. The effects of mixing speeds and times on the macroscopic shear stress-shear rate curves, rheological patterns, rheomechanical parameters, and the distribution of micro-flocculated particles of UPC slurries were investigated. The results indicate that the macroscopic rheomechanical parameters and microscopic flocculation coefficient of UPC slurry exhibit a decrease with increased slurry mixing speed. However, a “decrease and then increase” trend is observed with increased slurry mixing time. The smaller the powder size of cement and the lower the water-cement ratio of the slurry, the more sensitive the rheomechanical properties of the slurry are to the influence of the mixing parameters. A positive correlation exists between the macroscopic rheomechanical properties of UPC slurry and its microscopic flocculation coefficient. Increasing the slurry mixing speed or prolonging the early mixing time can destroy the microscopic flocculation particles of UPC slurry, a reduction in the flocculation coefficient of the slurry, and an improvement in the macroscopic fluidity properties. The research findings provide a foundation for improving the effectiveness of UPC grouting in the engineering field.

Shear Mechanism and Optimal Estimation of the Fractal Dimension of Glass Bead-Simulated Sand

Spherical glass beads weaken the influences of particle morphology, surface properties, and microscopic fabric on shear strength, which is significant for revealing the relationship between macroscopic particle friction mechanisms and the particle size distribution of sand. This paper explores the shear mechanical properties of glass beads with different particle size ratios under different confining pressures. It obtains the particle size ratio and fractal dimension D through an optimal mechanical response. Simultaneously, we explore the range of the fractal dimension D under well-graded conditions. The test results show that the strain-softening degree of Rs is more obvious under a highly effective confining pressure, and the strain-softening degree of Rs can reach 0.669 when the average particle size d¯ is 0.5 mm. The changes in the normalized modulus ratio Eu/Eu50 indicate that the particle ratio and arrangement are the fundamental reasons for the different macroscopic shear behaviors of particles. The range of the peak effective internal friction angle φ is 23 °~35 °, and it first increases and then decreases with the increase in the effective confining pressure. As the average particle size increases, the peak stress ratio MFL and the peak effective internal friction angle φ first increase and then decrease, and both can be expressed using the Gaussian function. The range of the fractal dimension D for well-graded particles is 1.873 to 2.612, and the corresponding average particle size d¯ ranges from 0.433 to 0.598. Under the optimal mechanical properties of glass beads, the particle size ratio of 0.25 mm to 0.75 mm is 23:27, and the fractal dimension D is 2.368. The study results provide a reference for exploring friction mechanics mechanisms and the optimal particle size distributions of isotropic sand.

Critical state uniqueness of dense granular materials using discrete element method in conjunction with flexible membrane boundary

An explanation of the meso-mechanism of sand granular materials for the uniqueness of critical state is presented by means of the discrete element method (DEM) under flexible boundary loading conditions. A series triaxial drainage shear test (DEM simulations), in conjunction with the flexible boundary technique, of were performed for sand samples subjected to various physical states and with different particle size distributions. After carefully investigating the critical status of the results of the numerical calculation, the macroscopic failure modes and shear band evolution of sand, as well as the velocity vector field due to different initial states, were explored and classified. Furthermore, the evaluation rules and discrepancies between overall void ratios of the specimen and local void ratios within the shear band under the critical state were recorded and analyzed. The results proved that a sample with a small void tends to form a shear band, and the rotation of the particles in the non-shear zone is negligible. Conversely, sandy soil with large initial void ratios exhibited limited development of significant shear bands, and the change in void ratios within the shear region and the non-shear area are not significant. Interestingly, the particle-size distribution exerts minimal influence on the evolution rule which the void ratio converges within the shear band and diverges outside the shear region for both multi-stage and single-stage specimens. The void ratio within the shear band and deviator stress ratio tend to exhibit consistently for the same specimen with different initial physical states, thereby distinguishing the critical state. There is a significantly higher change in void ratio within the shear band compared to outside of it, yet it remains stable within a relatively similar range. Additionally, the invariant of the fabric tensor used to describe the critical state characteristics also demonstrates a high degree of consistency within the shear band. These findings strongly indicate that the critical state exists within the shear failure surface and is highly likely to be unique.

Fatigue mechanical properties and Kaiser effect characteristics of the saturated weakly cemented sandstone under different loading rate conditions

Weakly cemented sandstone (WCS) is a unique rock type widely distributed on the surface. Environmental factors such as groundwater and stress variations easily influence its fatigue mechanical properties and fracture characteristics. To design and evaluate the long-term stability of surrounding rock support in tunnel excavation and underground resource mining projects, investigating the fatigue mechanical properties and acoustic emission (AE) response characteristics of saturated WCS under different loading rates is of great practical and theoretical significance. This study employed experimental techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and natural water absorption tests to investigate the mineral composition, pore size, and connectivity characteristics of WCS. The multi-level cyclic loading-unloading tests (MCLU) combined with the AE system were conducted on dry and saturated WCS specimens at different loading rates. The results reveal that the deformation modulus of these specimens initially increases and then decreases under cyclic loading conditions. Water significantly influences the fatigue strength and deformation resistance of sandstone. As the loading rate increases, the range of RA values broadens, accompanied by a marked increase in the number of AE signals with high RA values. Saturated sandstone specimens are more prone to developing macroscopic shear fracture surfaces. Water has a more substantial effect on the stress distribution ranges corresponding to the response of the Kaiser effect in WCS than loading rates. The capacity of the Kaiser effect to indicate the extent of rock damage is intricately linked to the progression of internal micro-cracks. When internal damage surpasses the critical value of the Kaiser effect memory damage, the accelerated propagation of shear cracks becomes pivotal in the internal damage of the sandstone. It seems that the presence of water within the interior of the rock may facilitate the dissolution of K-feldspar in WCS, which could result in the formation of kaolinite, which will be further transformed into illite. The hydration expansion of illite may further exacerbate the deterioration effect of the mechanical properties of WCS.

Cyclic frictional response of rough rock joints under shear disturbances: Laboratory experiment and numerical simulation

The cyclic frictional response of rock joints under shear disturbances is critical for understanding the stability and durability of rock engineering structures. Laboratory experiments and numerical simulations were conducted to examine the effects of varying cyclic shear displacement amplitudes, frequencies, and cycle numbers on the macroscopic and microscopic shear characteristics of rough rock joints. The experimental results reveal significant differences in shear strength between the first few cycle and subsequent cycles during the cyclic shear process. As the number of shear cycles increases, the asperities on the contact surface gradually sustain damage, leading to a reduction in normal displacement. During cyclic shear, the peak shear load exhibits a two-stage variation with the number of cycles: an initial sharp decline followed by a gradual increase as the cycles proceed. The peak shear strength shows no obvious pattern under different shear displacement amplitudes and frequencies in the early stages of cyclic shear. As cyclic shear progresses, the peak shear strength decreases with increasing shear displacement amplitude but increases with higher shear frequency. Numerical simulations indicate that significant plastic deformation and shear wear occur on the joint surface during the initial cycles. The growth of the wear area is primarily concentrated in regions of stress concentration. Additionally, the simulations reveal that the volume of shear wear increase nonlinearly with the number of cycles. This research provides new insights into the cyclic shear behavior of rough rock joints and offers valuable references for engineering applications.

Mechanical testing of colloidal solids with millipascal stress and single-particle strain resolution.

We introduce a technique, traction rheoscopy, to carry out mechanical testing of colloidal solids. A confocal microscope is used to directly measure stress and strain during externally applied deformation. The stress is measured, with single-mPa resolution, by determining the strain in a compliant polymer gel in mechanical contact with the colloidal solid. Simultaneously, the confocal microscope is used to measure structural change in the colloidal solid with single particle resolution during the deformation. To demonstrate the utility and sensitivity of this technique, we deform a hard-sphere colloidal glass in simple shear, and from the macroscopic shear strain and measured stress determine the stress-strain curve. Using the stress-strain curve and measured shear modulus, we decompose the macroscopic shear strain into an elastic and a plastic component. We also determine a local strain tensor for each particle using the changes in its nearest-neighbor distances. These local strains are spatially heterogeneous throughout the sample, but, when averaged, match the macroscopic strain. A microscopic yield criterion is used to split the local strains into subyield and yielded partitions; averages over these partitions complement the macroscopic elastic-plastic decomposition obtained from the stress-strain curve. By combining mechanical testing with single-particle structural measurements, traction rheoscopy is a unique tool for the study of deformation mechanisms in a diverse range of soft materials.

Strength, microstructure and bonding mechanism of borosilicate glass-to-SA105 carbon steel seals

The bonding strengths, microscopic characteristics and fracture properties of borosilicate glass-to-SA105 carbon steel seals were investigated, and two different glass-to-metal bonding mechanisms were compared. First, a mechanical interlocking mechanism was found via precipitates formed from chemical reactions at the interface of the seal bonded to unoxidized SA105 carbon steel. Second, a transitional layer mechanism was proven by the dissolution of metal oxides, which was on the surface of preoxidized SA105 carbon steel, into the glass. The bonding strength results showed that both mechanisms effectively contributed to the joining of dissimilar phases, but the effect of the latter mechanism was more prominent than that of the former mechanism. Various microstructures and chemical compositions of the surface oxide scales were obtained by applying different preoxidation conditions to SA105 carbon steel. Additionally, different sealing interfaces were reported through this process. The width of the interfacial transitional layer ranged from 0.5 μm to 1.5 μm, and the strength of the seal was closely related to this width. The sealing of SA105 carbon steel that was preoxidized at 800 °C for 30 min with a moderate width of the transitional layer had an optimal shear strength of 25.4 MPa. However, a wide transitional layer composed of the remaining oxide scales deteriorated the strength of the seal. In addition, fracture analysis of the seals after the shear test was conducted, and the intrinsic correlations between the macroscopic shear strength and microscopic bonding mechanism were established. The present work should provide a reference for the characterization of bonding strength in joining dissimilar materials.

Deformation field evolution characteristics of layered cemented paste backfill and strength prediction based on ultrasonic pulse velocity

ABSTRACT This study focused on investigating the damage development mode and strength prediction model of layered cemented paste backfill (LCPB) using digital image correlation (DIC) and ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV). The results indicated that the damage mode was associated with the cement-to-tailings (c/t) ratio and the height (h/H) ratio of the middle layer of LCPB. The damage mode of LCPB was mainly tensile damage for a small h/H ratio while increasing the h/H ratio to 0.8 resulted in LCPB exhibiting macroscopic shear damage. With the reduction of the c/t ratio, the damage area of LCPB gradually shifted from the upper layer to the middle layer. The UPV tended to decrease exponentially with both the decrease of the c/t ratio and the increase of the h/H ratio. Comparing the predicted and experimental values, the maximum error of the predicted values was only 0.299, and the value of the a20-index was 0.9792, indicating that the predictive model was reliable. The findings could provide guidance for the design of LCPB.

Collective dynamics of liquid sulphur across the polymerisation transition temperature probed by inelastic x-ray scattering

Inelastic x-ray scattering (IXS) experiments on liquid sulphur were carried out below (140 ∘C) and above (180 ∘C) the polymerisation temperature T λ of about 159 ∘C to investigate changes in the collective dynamics of this unique liquid, that exhibits a liquid–liquid transition. As reported earlier, broad longitudinal acoustic excitation signals were observed at both temperatures, and only the width of the quasielastic peaks slightly decreased when the temperature crossed the transition temperature. A model analysis was performed using a generalised Langevin formalism with a memory function having one thermal and two viscoelastic decay channels with the help of simple sparse modelling, and large positive deviations from the hydrodynamic sound velocity by 51%–54% were observed. The fast viscoelastic relaxation time τ µ is close to the correlation times of intermolecular stretching and bending motions of local sulphur connections in both ring and chain structures, and is similar to those of other molecular liquids. The small contrasts in the IXS spectra across the λ transition result in large changes in only the slow viscoelastic decay time τ α of the memory function. The τ α value at 140 ∘C matches the mixed internal/external torsional modes of S8 molecules well, whereas that at 180 ∘C has no corresponding molecular motion mode. The kinematic viscosity values at the Q→0 limit are much smaller than the minimum values of macroscopic shear viscosity, indicating that large changes in relaxation dynamics are expected with Q in the GHz and MHz excitation regimes.

Effects of local strain on the plastic deformation and fracture mechanism of heterogeneous multilayered aluminum

Elucidating the effect of local strain on the mechanical properties is of great significance for the design of high-performance layered metals. For this purpose, we conceived the present study, featured by tailoring the local strain by layer thickness design, and simultaneous monitoring of local strain and geometrically necessary dislocations (GNDs) via coupling in-situ electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) and high-resolution digital image correlation (DIC). In addition, synchrotron X-ray micro-computed tomography (μCT) was employed to analyze the microcracks that serve as another form of strain localization. Such detailed experimental studies revealed that the interfacial strain gradient was rapidly elevated, and the strain localization band was effectively dispersed as the layer thickness decreased. This leads to two typical transitions, from grain-boundary-related to layer-interface-related plastic deformation mode, and from macroscopic shear to zig-zag fracture mode. Their influences on the mechanical properties, as well as underlying mechanisms, were discussed based on the relationship among the layer thickness, strain gradient, strain localization, GND density, and microcracks. Our work not only contributes to the fundamental understanding of the mechanical behavior of multilayered metals but also offers guidance for the structural design of high-performance metals aimed at achieving superior strength-ductility combinations.

Analyzing the mechanical behavior of granular materials: A multi-morphological approach using spherical harmonics and LS-DEM

This paper investigates the micro-to-macro response of granular materials influenced by multi-scale morphological characteristics using spherical harmonics and LS-DEM. Our simulation results reveal that particle elongation plays the primary role in governing the shear strength and dilatancy, with surface roughness also affecting these macroscopic behaviors of non-elongated assemblies while marginally influencing elongated assemblies. At the microscale, more elongated particles with a higher degree of roughness present a stronger interlocking effect. Furthermore, we quantitatively establish a connection with the system stress ratio through the stress-fabric-force (SFF) relationship, enabling us to comprehend the shape-dependent macroscopic shear strength from microscopic anisotropy perspectives. Our results indicate that more elongated and rougher particles lead to a more significant fabric anisotropy at the critical state. Additionally, a mechanics-based shape parameter, known as rotational resistance angle, is found to correlate linearly with the critical shear strength of all explored assemblies, which can be explained by the microscopic linkage between all partitioned anisotropy components and the adopted shape parameter.

From micro to macro: Creep behaviour and closed-form expression of viscoelastic parameters for a rheological particle assembly

This study is devoted to analytically establish macro–micro quantitative relationships for creep characteristics of a rheological particle assembly, contributing to a more comprehensive insight into the interplay between different scales. To represent the various rheological behaviour in microscopic for a hexagonal close-packed (HCP) circular particle assembly, the contact responses are assumed as viscoelastic models. By extending the traditional homogenization method to the Laplace domain, the macroscopic one/two-dimensional creep equations of the rheological particle assembly, expressed with the microscopic contact parameters in a closed-form manner, are innovatively identified. It is found that the macroscopic creep behaviour is not always consistent with the microscopic one and in general exhibits more complex creep characteristics. The parametric analysis presents the quantitative influence of contact parameters on macroscopic creep behaviour. Extending the one-dimensional case to three dimensions (3D), the relaxation moduli as well as creep compliance, expressed in closed-form by contact parameters, are obtained in 3D viscoelastic constitutive equations. Distinct viscoelastic behaviours are observed for macroscopic shear and bulk responses. The proposed macro–micro quantitative relations of creep characteristics in this study benefit to deeply understand the macro–micro relations of viscoelastic properties, providing an alternative approach to calibrate microscopic parameters when involving the DEM simulations.

Machine learning assisted discovery of effective viscous material laws for shear-thinning fiber suspensions

In this article, we combine a Fast Fourier Transform based computational approach and a supervised machine learning strategy to discover models for the anisotropic effective viscosity of shear-thinning fiber suspensions. Using the Fast Fourier Transform based computational approach, we study the effects of the fiber orientation state and the imposed macroscopic shear rate tensor on the effective viscosity for a broad range of shear rates of engineering process interest. We visualize the effective viscosity in three dimensions and find that the anisotropy of the effective viscosity and its shear rate dependence vary strongly with the fiber orientation state. Combining the results of this work with insights from literature, we formulate four requirements a model of the effective viscosity should satisfy for shear-thinning fiber suspensions with a Cross-type matrix fluid. Furthermore, we introduce four model candidates with differing numbers of parameters and different theoretical motivations, and use supervised machine learning techniques for non-convex optimization to identify parameter sets for the model candidates. By doing so, we leverage the flexibility of automatic differentiation and the robustness of gradient based, supervised machine learning. Finally, we identify the most suitable model by comparing the prediction accuracy of the model candidates on the fiber orientation triangle, and find that multiple models predict the anisotropic shear-thinning behavior to engineering accuracy over a broad range of shear rates.

Physical mechanism of the intermittent plastic flow at extremely low temperatures

The physical mechanism of the intermittent plastic flow (IPF) of austenitic steels at extremely low temperatures is explained in the context of microstructure evolution and 3D deformation arising in the area of the shear band. The microstructure change is identified by X-ray diffraction with the use of synchrotron radiation as well as electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). This complete, global and local, approach reveals the intensive formation of twin boundaries which perform two functions. They become a part of the macroscopic shear band, but also constitute barriers piling up dislocations. Thus, their overcoming results in a stress drop as in the case of breaking the Lomer-Cottrell locks. The investigations show that the rapid displacement is blocked by the intensively produced martensite α’. The main features of the uncovered microstructural evolution are captured in the 3D reconstruction of the shear band obtained with the use of profilometer. Moreover, the effect of the thermodynamic instability is taken into account when assessing the conditions of the IPF. Finally, new kinetics of the IPF is developed. It comprises two functions: B reflecting the surface density of the dislocation pile-ups on the internal lattice barriers, and G corresponding to the surface density of twin boundaries. The breakthrough of the work consists in the discovery of multi-scale mechanism of the IPF, including participation of twin boundaries and the Lomer-Cottrell barriers.