Stress Exponent Research Articles

The role of Ni minor additions on the mechanical characteristics of Sn-1.5Ag-0.5 wt.% Cu (SAC155) Pb-free solder alloy

AbstractMicrostructure analysis, thermal behavior, and tensile creep characteristics of the Sn-1.5Ag-0.5Cu-x wt.% Ni (SAC155-xNi, x = 0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, and 0.5 wt.%) solder alloys have been examined. The Ni additions have greatly modified the microstructure of Ni-free alloy into bulky fibrous eutectic regions and included the contemporary (Cu, Ni)6Sn5, and (Ni, Cu)3Sn4 IMCs. Ni additions slightly increased solidus temperature and melting temperature of them. The results of tensile creep resistance have shown dependence on Ni content and testing temperatures due to bulky fibrous eutectic regions and finer IMCs. Creep rates vary with Ni content across all temperatures and stresses. The SAC155-0.05Ni alloy has the lowest and the SAC-0.0Ni alloy has the highest creep rates at all tested conditions. The delicate dispersed IMCs of Ag3Sn and Cu–Ni–Sn resulted in a significant increase in stress exponent (n$$\approx $$ ≈ 5–8), enhancing its deformation resistance. The $$n$$ n values of alloys decrease as the testing temperature rises due to a change in the dominant creep mechanism. The average values of activation energy (Q) of SAC155-xNi alloy ranged from 60.20 to 68.02 kJ/mol. These Q values are coherent to the process of pipe self-diffusion through dislocation cores.

Determination of uniaxial creep properties using equivalent factors by sharp indentation

The uniaxial creep properties, including the creep coefficient and stress exponent, are crucial to characterize the creep behavior of materials. Instrumented sharp indentation test (ISIT) is a non-destructive technique to characterize the uniaxial creep properties using the stress equivalent factor and strain rate equivalent factor. However, the strain hardening exponent of tested material is ignored in the contact model, leading to inaccurate estimation of uniaxial creep coefficient. Based on finite element simulations, the effects of the strain hardening exponent on equivalent factors were investigated. The relationships between the equivalent factors, the strain hardening exponent, and the yield strain were established. Indentation and uniaxial tests on Pb95Sn5 and Sn99Cu1 were conducted to validate the established equivalent factors. Then those factors were used to determine the uniaxial creep coefficient of Pb95Sn5 and Sn99Cu1 by ISIT. This work demonstrates the feasibility of measuring uniaxial creep properties of work hardened material by ISIT.

Nanoindentation creep response of Ti–6Al–4V ELI alloy manufactured via laser powder bed fusion

The anisotropic creep response in both the XY and XZ planes of Ti–6Al–4V ELI manufactured by powder bed fusion (PBF) was examined under nanoindentation creep loading at room temperature, ranging from nm to μm scales. The stress exponent values of 4.06–4.30, rationalised through threshold stress, indicate that the creep behaviour is primarily dominated by dislocation gliding. Creep displacement results show that the anisotropic creep behaviour in the XY and XZ planes of the as-built, and heat treatment enhances the creep resistance of the XZ plane, while there is no significant difference in creep displacement between the as-built and heat-treated XY planes. Due to the higher dislocation density and compressive residual stress in the XY plane compared to the XZ plane, the creep resistance is higher in the XY plane for the as-built. It is highlighted that compressive residual stress is more relieved in the XY plane than in the XZ plane through heat treatment. The heat treatment results in improved creep resistance due to the formation of the Widmanstätten structure and β precipitates, which can impede dislocation movement under creep loading. The combination of residual stress and microstructural effects leads to anisotropic creep behaviour, suggesting that the anisotropy is inherited from the additive manufacturing process at micron scales.

High temperature tensile creep behavior and microstructure evolution of Ti60 alloy rolled sheet

In this work, the high temperature tensile creep test of 2mm Ti60 alloy rolled sheet was carried out, and the creep behavior and microstructure evolution were studied. The initial microstructure of the 2mm Ti60 alloy rolled sheet is mainly composed of primary α phase and secondary α phase, and there are many dislocations and dynamic recrystallization (DRX) inside the rolled sheet. According to Norton-Bailey law, the creep stress exponent at 600 °C is calculated to be 3.6, and creep activation energy at 200MPa is calculated to be 286.4kJ/mol. It implies that the creep mechanism of the rolled sheet includes dislocation slip and dislocation climb. The initial Ti60 alloy rolled sheet has the {0001}<10-10>α texture. Stretching along the RD makes the texture direction gradually change from B-type (<0001>//ND) to T-type (<0001>//TD). Whether it is the B-type texture or T-type texture, the (0001) plane of the α phase always exhibits a basal texture state parallel to the tensile stress direction, contributing a good tensile creep property of this alloy sheet.

Material volume reduction for creep testing using composite cantilevers and its application for residual life assessment

Digital image correlation (DIC) and finite element analysis (FEA) demonstrate that creep deformation in bending occurs primarily in ≈30 % of the cantilever volume near the fixed end, especially when the creep stress exponent ranges from 5 to 7. As an alternative approach to minimize the material volume required for testing, the concept of fabricating composite cantilevers is proposed and validated in this study. A composite cantilever sample consists of an “active” creeping portion (e.g., T22 boiler steel) and an additively extended “passive” non-creeping portion (e.g., IN718). The volume reduction process involved varying the length of the “active” section, a, while keeping the total length of the cantilever, L, constant. The DIC measurements conducted at 600 °C to assess the creep behavior of T22 steel revealed that analytical expressions for monolithic cantilevers could aptly predict the constitutive steady-state creep laws from the composite cantilevers if measurements are made in a region at a critical distance away from the interface. FEA indicates that accurate stress estimation enables predicting monolithic creep behavior using composite samples with “a/L” ratios of as small as 5 %. Using the developed approach, the loss of creep resistance of T11 boiler steel that was in service for ∼ 240,000 h was ascertained in high throughput fashion using a composite cantilever having only 30 vol % of the “active” material. Guidelines to minimize the volume fraction of the “active” portion in the composite cantilever and the implications of the observations for estimating the residual life of in-service high-temperature components are discussed.

An advanced fast multipole dual boundary element method for analyzing multiple cracks propagation

A new fast multipole dual boundary element method (FMDBEM) is developed to analyze multiple crack propagations. To evaluate accurately the stress fields around the crack tip, a variable-order asymptotic element (VAE) is first proposed to express the singular behavior. This VAE is also suitable for the V-notches with different opening angles, requiring only minor adjustments of stress exponents. Then the VAE is introduced into the FMDBEM framework, where several singularity problems of integrals are solved. Finally, the FMDBEM with VAEs, combined with an adaptive scheme, is used to determine the crack propagation paths. Numerical examples show that the present method is accurate and easy to implement making it an appealing tool for analyzing large complex structures that include randomly distributed cracks and notches.

Deformation behaviour and microstructure evolution of Ti-2.3Al-2.6Zr alloy in the temperature range of 700–1000 °C

Ti-2.3Al-2.6Zr alloy was hot deformed at temperatures from 700 to 1000 °C and strain rates from 10−2 −30 s−1. The uniaxial compression tests were conducted in vacuum to a true strain of 1 for this alloy. Strain rate sensitivity was calculated from the true stress- true strain data and plotted as contour plots to generate the strain rate sensitivity map. The hot working condition of this model α-Ti alloy was optimized by using the strain rate sensitivity map. The optimized hot workability domains were identified for α-phase as (a) 780–900 °C at strain rate of 10−2 to 0.3 s−1 and (b) 825–900 °C at strain rate of 3–30 s−1. The domain of hot processing condition for β-phase was found at 930–1000 °C for all strain rates. In α-phase domain the strain rate sensitivity was about 0.3, the stress exponent was 4.3 and the activation energy for deformation was 285 kJ mol−1 whereas in β-phase domain the strain rate sensitivity was about 0.34, the stress exponent was 5.3 and the activation energy for deformation was 210 kJ mol−1. These deformation parameters suggest the deformation process to be a dislocation based mechanism. Samples deformed within the high strain rate sensitivity domains showed microstructural features of dynamic recrystallization. In α-phase fine equiaxed recrystallized grains with high angle boundaries were observed. Deformation at 900 °C and 0.01 s−1 resulted in fully recrystallized equiaxed grains in the α-phase, whereas the β-phase showed lamellar grain morphology with very fine recrystallized grains.

The role of processing temperature for achieving superplastic properties in an Al-3Mg-0.2Sc alloy processed by high-pressure torsion

Experiments were conducted to systematically assess the superplastic properties and the microstructural changes of an Al-3Mg-0.2Sc alloy processed by 10 HPT revolutions at room temperature (RT ≈ 300 K) or at 450 K after subsequent tensile testing at temperatures from 473 to 723 K over a wide range of strain rates. The HPT processing at RT led to the development of elongated grains with an average size of ∼140 nm whereas the grain structures were equiaxed and slightly larger (∼150 nm) after HPT at 450 K. After HPT processing at RT, the Al-Mg-Sc alloy exhibited true superplastic flow at low homologous temperatures and attained a maximum elongation of ∼850 % at 523 K. Nevertheless, the elongations decreased at temperatures T ≥ 623 K and an elongation higher than 400 % was only achieved at 673 K for a strain rate of ε˙ = 4.5 × 10−3 s−1. The material processed by HPT at 450 K displayed superior microstructural stability and substantially higher superplastic ductilities. Elongations of >1100 % were attained at 673 K for strain rates from 3.3 × 10−4 to 1.0 × 10−1 s−1 and a record elongation of ∼1880 % for an HPT-processed metal was achieved at 1.5 × 10−2 s−1 at 673 K. High strain rate superplasticity was also reached for an extended range of temperatures and strain rates. Analysis of the data confirms a stress exponent of ∼2 which is consistent with superplastic flow by grain boundary sliding accommodated by dislocation glide and climb.

The role of phase transformation (tetragonal – spinel) on the structural and mechanical properties of Ni doped CuFe2O4

Nano-ferrites of Cu1–xNixFe2O4 (x = 0 to 1 with step 0.2) system was synthesized utilizing the flash auto combustion process annealed at 600oC for 3 h. The structural characterization for synthesized samples was carried out using x-ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier transition infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The hardness of the prepared material was measured using micro-indentation creep technology. XRD pattern verified the creation of a single-phase cubic spinel structure. The undesired CuO phase forms around \\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\:2\ heta\\:={50}^{^\\circ\\:}\\:$$\\end{document}for pure Copper ferrite and decreases with increasing Ni content. The average crystalline size decreases from 27.92 nm to 13.28 nm by doping process from x = 0.2 to x = 1 which retards the growth of crystalline size. FTIR spectra are distinguished by the presence of two prominent absorption bands, ν2 for the octahedral site and ν1 for the tetrahedral site, in the range of approximately 593 and 471 cm− 1, respectively. FTIR analysis verified the formation of the ferrite system’s spinel structure. The TEM images show a nanocrystalline nature with some agglomeration and the crystallites are spherical in shape which their sizes are agrees well with that obtained from XRD measurements. The hardness decreases as the dwell time increases. The hardness and yield strength (Y) values were significantly improved due to the decrease in the crystallite size after Ni doping. The stress exponent (n) value increases by increasing Ni content which means that the mechanical properties improved due to increment of resistance.

Analysis of the Cessation of Convection in Mercury's Mantle

AbstractThe question of whether the present‐day mantle of Mercury is undergoing convection remains unresolved. We address this issue by estimating the minimum value of the core‐mantle boundary (CMB) temperature needed to support mantle convection and considering the time required to cool the mantle below this threshold. A simple mathematical analysis of the cooling of the core, based on the assumption of a quasi‐steady‐state thermal equilibrium of Mercury's mantle, shows that the CMB temperature falls to the critical temperature for cessation of convection roughly halfway through the planet's evolutionary history. To first order, the duration of subsolidus convection does not depend on the absolute value of the viscosity. It depends primarily on parameters that control the viscosity function, such as the stress exponent and the activation energy. Our results based on conventional assumptions suggest the absence of present‐day mantle convection in Mercury, which is consistent with numerical models of Mercury's thermal history. However, because of large uncertainties in the controlling parameters, the possibility of still ongoing mantle convection on Mercury cannot be ruled out.

Rapid assessment of the creep rupture life of metals: A model enabling experimental design

Prediction of the creep rupture life of engineering metals is critical for qualification and design of new materials. The use of long-term creep tests and the need to quantify the performance variability in a priori similar systems hinder the rapid creep assessment of a given material. Therefore, it is essential to develop methods that can extrapolate the long-term performance of alloys and the associated variability from short-term experiments. To this end, this study introduces a new model which enables the estimation of the rupture life of a material for a given stress and temperature. This model relies on two components. First, a new relation for the minimum creep rate (MCR) of materials is introduced. It includes a stress dependent stress exponent allowing the model to capture the variation of MCR across a wide range of temperatures and stresses. Second, employing the Monkman-Grant (MG) law, we establish a relation between stress, temperature and creep rupture life. Together, these two elements yield a new closed-form mathematical expression for the Larson Miller parameter as a function of stress and temperature. This expression captures the creep rupture time for many metals (Gr91, Copper, Gr122 and 347H) and compares favorably with alternate empirical approaches. The model is then used to assess the minimum duration of creep rates necessary to qualify the material up to 100000h. It is found that depending on the material system, creep tests as few as five limited to 5000 h for steels (Gr91, Gr122, 347H) and 100 h for copper are sufficient to model creep lifetimes. Finally, using a Bayesian inference-based approach to calibrate the model, we demonstrate that variability in rupture life can be captured via the quantification of the uncertainty in the model parameters and extrapolated from a limited number of short to moderately short creep tests; thereby paving the way for accelerated creep testing.

Creep properties of heat-resistant ultrafine-grained Al (HITEMAL©) determined by small punch testing

The creep properties of thermally stable ultrafine-grained Al metal matrix composite strengthened and stabilized by continuous in situ amorphous Al2O3 network (named HITEMAL©) prepared by powder metallurgy (PM) were tested by small punch creep testing (SPCT) in the temperature range from 573 to 673 K. The experimental SPCT results were correlated and compared with the results obtained by conventional tensile creep testing. The mutual correlation between tensile and SPCT creep results based on the transition stress was proposed and used to correctly interpret the measured SPCT data. The creep behaviour of HITEMAL© is characterized by the high values of apparent stress exponents and by the presence of transition stress at which the apparent stress exponents significantly changed. The SPCT discs fractured by the radial cracks at low values of deflection with only limited creep deformation highly localized in the vicinity of the fracture surfaces. The detailed analysis of fractured SPCT discs by scanning electron microscopy showed ductile dimpled fracture surfaces with the presence of unusual high filament-like tearing edges. The comparison of obtained results with other PM Al-based alloys and composites confirmed a significantly higher creep performance of HITEMAL© at used testing conditions.

A good balance between the efficiency of ionizing radiation shielding and mechanical performance of various tin-based alloys: Comparative analysis

The Sn-Bix (x = 30, 40, 50, 60 and 70%) radiation shielding alloys were prepared using a melting process of the alloying material in a ceramic crucible at 200 °C for 120 min. The structural characterization for synthesized samples was carried out using X-ray Diffraction technique (XRD). The hardness and elastic properties of the prepared alloys was measured using micro-indentation creep technology and tensile test machine respectively. XRD pattern indicated that that the crystal size of Sn phase is lowered by increasing Bi concentration in the Sn matrix. The hardness decreases as the dwell time increases. The hardness values and elastic properties (in terms of young modulus) were significantly improved due to the decrease in the crystallite size by increasing Bi content. The stress exponent (n) value increase by increasing Bi content which mean that the mechanical properties improved due to increment of resistance. Furthermore, the produced alloys' nuclear shielding ability was investigated. The μm values were calculated using MCNP simulation code and XCOM software over a broad energy range of 0.015 MeV–15 MeV with good agreement between them. Several characteristics are estimated in order to properly understand the researched alloy's radiation and properties of neutron shielding. The findings showed that a higher Bi concentration causes the crystal size to decrease, improving the radiation shielding and mechanical qualities. The alloy Sn-70% Bi has a maximum increase of vicker hardness, tensile strength, and young's modulus. The findings of the shielding parameters indicate that the alloys under study are efficient gamma shielding materials in contrast to other typical shielding materials and materials that have been examined recently. The highest mechanical efficiency and rather strong gamma-ray shielding capabilities are found in the Sn–70Bi alloy. Owing to its ability to effectively balance mechanical performance and shielding, the Sn–70Bi are approved for use in radiation protection. In addition, when compared to all other manufactured alloys, typical neutron shielding materials, and recently investigated materials, the results further demonstrate that the Sn–70Bi alloy has the best neutron attenuation capability. Furthermore, in terms of mass stopping power (MSP) and projected range (PR), the Sn–70Bi alloy demonstrates the most effective attenuation for alpha particles (He+2) and protons (H+1). These results imply that the Sn–70Bi alloy provide superior mechanical performance and nuclear shielding for a range of applications including industrial, medicinal, and nuclear waste storage in the future.

A novel method for investigating ice-substrate interfacial rheology and long-term adfreeze strength through loading-unloading creep test

Ice cementation and ice-substrate adfreeze force are the primary contributors to the high bearing capacity of pile foundations in cold regions and the stability of frozen walls in areas subjected to artificial freezing. Given the significant temperature sensitivity of ice’s shear rheology, engineering structures in ice or ice-rich soils continue to deform even under constant external loads. A thorough understanding of shear creep and the long-term adfreeze force at the ice-substrate interface is essential for predicting the continuous deformation of these structures. However, research into the shear creep behavior at frozen interfaces has historically been constrained by the precision of temperature control in experimental settings and the complexity of load paths in shear testing devices. In this study, a temperature- and stress-control device for interface shear creep is assembled firstly, and multilevel loading-unloading creep tests on steel pipes embedded in layered frozen ice were conducted. Through the decoupling of deformation progression, the viscoelastic and viscoplastic shear behaviors at the steel-ice interface under various temperatures and shear stresses were characterized, the principle of sustainable interfacial shear creep along with its underlying physical mechanism were proposed. Subsequently, with the aid of a modified nonlinear Burger model, various interfacial shear creep parameters were derived. Results reveal that the interfacial generalized shear modulus continuously improves but with a gradually weakening degree until a point of accelerating creep is reached. Additionally, the long-term adfreeze force is found to be less than half of the short-term strength, which significantly decreases as the temperature approaches the water phase transition zone. Interestingly, the stress exponent associated with the interfacial steady creep rate is considerably smaller than that predicted by Glen’s law. This research provides a theoretical basis instrumental in the engineering design in cold regions and those structures employing artificial freezing techniques.

Enhanced creep resistance and microstructure in 7055 Al alloy by in-situ (Al2O3 + ZrB2) nanoparticles and Al3(Er, Zr)

This work put forward a novel approach to enhancing high-temperature creep resistance of 7055 Al alloy via inducing reinforcements including in-situ (Al2O3 + ZrB2) nanoparticles and Al3(Er, Zr). Creep steady-state rates of the (Al2O3 + ZrB2)/7055 Al composites enhanced by synergistic Er, Zr were lower than the (Al2O3 + ZrB2)/7055 Al composites, indicating the values of stress component (n) and apparent activation energy (Q) were 1.05–1.15 and 1.06–1.08 times of (Al2O3 + ZrB2)/7055 Al composites. The dislocation climb mechanism was considered as the dominative creep mechanism because the suitable true stress exponent was 5. The uniform distribution of Al2O3 and Al3(Er, Zr) and their influence on improving the distribution of ZrB2 aggregates gave rise to relative uniform deformation during creep process. The built interface models that induce Al3(Er, Zr) between the nanoparticle/Al interface could lead to a more thermodynamically stable and well-bonded interface. The coupling effect of attachments containing Al2O3, ZrB2 and Al3(Er, Zr) played an enhanced role in terms of vacancy-trapping, precipitate-nucleation, dislocation motion during creep process. The nanoparticles and Al3(Er, Zr) together with nuclear sites containing solute atoms, vacancies and misfits nearby, caused an expansion-inhibiting effect on the helical dislocations. The in-grain misorientation axes (IGMA) concentration of some deformed grains associated with Schmid factor (SF) analysis were related to 〈001〉, 〈111〉 and 〈101〉 direction. The calculation of creep resistance mechanisms was quantified. Additionally, typical intergranular fracture appeared within the composites due to the relatively uniform reinforcements, resulting in the complex crack path.

Investigations on the influence of hot rolling on the creep characteristics of additively manufactured Mg-5Ag alloy

The requirement for lightweight materials that can survive increasingly severe conditions for aerospace components has fueled the research on magnesium alloys. The current work investigates the influence of hot rolling on the creep characteristics of the Mg-5Ag alloy that is fabricated through a selective laser melting process. The creep properties of parent material (PM) and hot-rolled specimens (HRA) are determined by indentation creep tests at 250 °C, 275 °C, and 300 °C. The microstructural evolution, phase transformation kinetics, and texture evolution were deduced using instrumental analysis, including SEM, EBSD, TEM, and XRD. The specimen PM features α-Mg grains with intermetallic Mg-Ag particles along grain boundaries and random grain orientations with low-angle boundaries. However, specimen HRA has a more fraction of Mg-Ag precipitates, a dominant (0001) grain orientation, and higher peak intensity from the (002) plane. The HRA specimen also demonstrates higher apparent activation energies, attributed to microstructural changes from hot rolling. The results show that the creep resistance of the hot rolled Mg-5Ag alloy is superior to as-fabricated Mg-5Ag alloy based on the creep velocity, stress exponent, and apparent activation energy.

Asymmetry and deformation mechanism in stress relaxation of 7B50 alloy

Stress relaxation behavior, deformation mechanism, and microstructure evolution of retrogression and reaging 7B50 aluminum alloy (7B50-T7751) have been experimentally investigated with different stress directions in this study. The stress relaxation aging tests with various initial stress levels and directions were carried out at 140 ℃ for up to 16 h. Room temperature tensile tests and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observation tests were performed subsequently. The results show that the stress relaxation behavior under tension and compression exhibits significant asymmetry. The stress relaxed and stress relaxation rates under tension are relatively higher as compared to compression, as smaller and more dispersed dislocations under tensile stress reduce the threshold stress. The stress direction contribute the opposite effect on strength evolution during stress relaxation. Furthermore, the stress relaxation mechanism of the material has been analyzed based on creep stress exponent and threshold stress. In the low-stress range, dislocation climbing controls the deformation mechanism under tensile stress, while dislocation slip under compressive stress. As the stress increases, dislocation slip controls the deformation mechanism under tensile stress, while grain boundary slip under compressive stress. A physically-based stress relaxation constitutive model considering the dislocation theory and stress relaxation mechanism is established. The predicted results of the model are in good agreement with the experimental data, indicating that the model can effectively describes stress relaxation behavior under complex stress conditions.

Influence of Temperature on Creep Resistance, Structural and Electrical Characteristics of S9Z1 Eutectic Alloys

In the present study, the structural and creep resistance properties of S9Z1 alloys with Cu-addition in concentrations (0.1 and 0.3% Wt.) have been investigated using x-ray diffractions (XRD) and Creep testing machine respectively. The three samples were prepared from high purity 99.99% by melting technique in the Pyrex tubs with CaCl&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;2&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt; to invaded the oxidation. The obtained samples were rolled drawn (cold rolling) into two groups. The first group was as wires for the creep resistance testing. The second group was as small sheets for structural investigations. Patterns of XRD showed that the S9Z1 alloy was primarily composed of two phases; a body centered tetragonal β-Sn matrix phase, and a secondary phase of hexagonal Zn. while with addition Cu (0.1 and 0.3% Wt.) to S9Z1 Alloys the results showed new peaks in the ternary compositions, such as Cu&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;6&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt;Sn&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;5&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt;, Cu&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;5&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt;Zn&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;8&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt;, phases respectively. The average of particle size (D) of β-Sn matrix was decreased with increasing Cu -adding, whereas the dislocation density (δ) increased with increasing addition. Creep properties of S9Z1, S9Z2 and 3 Alloys were examined at different temperatures (25, 40 and 80°C) under two constant loads (σ= 18.7 and 24.94 MPa). The creep behaviors of ternary alloys were higher than the S9Z1 alloys with all different temperatures under two constant loads. Also, the S9Z3 alloy with all different temperatures and two loads exhibited greatest creep resistance, due to the refinement structure and formation of new IMCs. Values of stress exponent (n) were found to be in the range of 1 to 10.55, for all S9Z2 and 3 alloys respectively. Values of activation energy (Q) of alloys were found to be in the range of 36.48 to 37.49 kJ/mol, for σ = 18.7 Mpa and 27 to 34.8 kJ/mol for σ = 24.94 Mpa for the S9Z1 alloys with Cu addition respectively. At room temperature (25°C), the electrical conductivity of the samples was calculated, and its values increased with Cu additions.

High-temperature creep mechanism of Ti-Ta-Nb-Mo-Zr refractory high-entropy alloys prepared by laser powder bed fusion technology

Creep resistance, which is one of the most important deformation modes, is rarely reported for refractory high entropy alloys (RHEAs). The experiment investigated the high-temperature creep mechanism of Ti-Ta-Nb-Mo-Zr RHEA prepared by laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) technology. The high cooling rate of LPBF suppresses most of the elemental segregation, but there are still over-solidified precipitates and a few continuous precipitates (CP). In the range of 923–1023 K, the stress exponent and activation energy were determined to be 3.2–3.4 and 261.5 ± 19.5 kJ/mol, respectively. Compared with other conventional alloys and HEAs, a large reduction of the minimum creep rate is found in the LPBF-built Ti1.5Ta0.5NbZrMo0.5 RHEA, indicating a significant improvement in high-temperature properties. The dislocation tangles at the interface is formed during the creep process and new Zr-rich CP phases are generated in the dislocation tangles region. The interfacial dislocation tangles is the result of the interaction between dislocations and two-phase mismatch stresses. The dislocation tangles prevents dislocations from further cutting the matrix phase, which is very favorable to the high-temperature creep performance. At the same time, the formation of this dislocation tangles greatly accelerates the nucleation process and growth rate of the new CP phase. The present work provides a pathway to design novel HEAs with improved high-temperature creep resistance.

Effect of Ni-RGO nanosheets on the creep behavior of Sn–Ag–Cu composite solder joints

Creep damage of Sn–Ag–Cu micro-joints is inevitable in service, even at room temperature. In this study, Ni-decorated reduced graphene oxide (Ni-RGO) nanosheets were rationally selected as a promising reinforcement in Sn-3.0Ag-0.5Cu (SAC305) solder to improve creep resistance. Tensile creep tests were conducted on the Ni-RGO reinforced SAC305 micro-joints under 8–14 MPa stress at 100–150 °C by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) equipment. Micrography and fractography were observed using FESEM. The stress exponent (n) increased from 5.83 to 6.37, and the activation energy (Q) rose from 68.80 to 75.41 kJ/mol as 0.10 wt% Ni-RGO nanosheets were added into the SAC305 solder, indicating the occurrence of diffusion mechanism. By adding a trace amount of Ni-RGO nanosheets (no more than 0.10 wt%), the crack initiation was prone to occur at the wave-valley of the continuous scallop shaped interface, where the diffusion of vacancies occurred, resulting in hybrid-fracture features of quasi-cleavage and dimples. It can be concluded that the inclusion of trace amounts of Ni-RGO nanosheets can enhance the creep resistance of SAC305 micro-joints during service.