Uniform Plastic Deformation Research Articles

Tensile ductility of a duplex surface treated maraging steel produced by Laser Powder Bed Fusion: Interaction between the inhomogeneous microstructure and transformation induced plasticity

The tensile ductility of a surface-treated 18Ni300 maraging steel produced by Laser Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF) was investigated in the present work. Both plasma nitriding and duplex treatments (plasma nitriding and Physical Vapour Deposition (PVD) coating) were considered using a direct aged material as a reference. The inhomogeneous microstructure of the surface-treated materials causes an early strain-induced austenite transformation, with a positive effect on the uniform plastic deformation. However, the brittle failure of the hardened surface and the coating promotes an inhomogeneous stress field and inhomogeneous deformation whose effect on tensile ductility prevails on the enhanced TRansformation Induced Plasticity (TRIP), resulting in a negative overall effect on ductility.The study's results suggest a metallurgical approach to optimizing the inhomogeneous microstructure of the surface-treated material, with the aim of preventing the decrease of ductility.

Strength and plasticity coordination improvement mechanism in network structure TiBw/TA15 composite via multi-DOF forming

TiBw/TA15 composite with network TiB whisker (TiBw) reinforcement architecture, exhibits high strength but limited plasticity, presenting a significant challenge in enhancing the plasticity of TiBw/TA15 composites. In the current work, strength and plasticity coordination improvement of TiBw/TA15 composite is achieved through the application of multi-degrees of freedom forming (multi-DOF forming) technology. The α phase spheroidization behaviour and strength-plasticity coordination improvement mechanisms are investigated. The results elucidate that increasing deformation amount through multi-DOF forming leads to more pronounced α phase spheroidization and refinement. This effect is attributed to the generation of substantial strain along the deformation path, particularly in the regions where hard TiBw particles rotate (i.e., the tips of TiBw). Additionally, the impediment of dislocation movement by TiBw causes dislocations to accumulate along these rotation regions via single slip and cross slip mechanisms, thereby accelerating the α phase spheroidization process. Furthermore, with increasing deformation amount, the strength and plasticity are coordinately improved. The tensile strength and elongation increase linearly from 972 MPa to 1239 MPa (increased by 27.5 %) and from 5.6 % to 7.9 % (increased by 41.1 %) as the deformation condition advanced from the sintered state to the 40 % deformation condition, respectively. Improved plasticity can be attributed to the refinement of grains and TiBw, promoting more uniform plastic deformation and reducing stress concentrations during tensile testing. The strengthening mechanisms encompass load transfer strengthening facilitated by TiBw, grain refinement strengthening and dislocation pinning effect caused by TiBw.

The effects of pre-existing dislocations on the mechanical properties of iron

In atomistic simulations, pre-existing dislocations have been reported to reduce the yield stress compared to the ideal crystals. However, the underlying physics behind yield stress reduction is still unrevealed, which hammers the design of advanced materials. Here, large-scale molecular dynamics simulations are carried out to investigate the influence of pre-existing dislocations on the mechanical properties of body-centered cubic Fe crystals with dislocation, twinning, and phase transformation-dominated deformation mechanisms. The results suggest that the overestimated yield stress of all the crystals is significantly reduced by increasing dislocation numbers and obtaining closer flow stress on the uniform plastic deformation stage. This reduction in yield stress can be attributed to the lower thermo-dynamical driving force required to activate existing dislocations in pre-existing dislocation crystals than that to nucleating new dislocations in ideal crystals. Furthermore, pre-existing dislocations inhibited the phase transformation-dominated deformation process, but the twinning/dislocation-dominated deformation process still exhibited its original deformation mechanism.

Deformation mechanism of dislocation slip and kinking behaviour in dynamic compression response of TiZrHfNb alloy fabricated by laser directed energy deposition

ABSTRACT In this study, the dynamic response and deformation mechanism of TiZrHfNb RHEA fabricated by laser directed energy deposition (L-DED) were researched under a dynamic compression test at a nominal strain rate of 3500 s−1. The L-DED TiZrHfNb alloy with columnar grains exhibits exceptional mechanical properties with a uniform dynamic flow stress of 1670 ± 10 MPa and a maximum plastic strain of 0.28 ± 0.03. The dislocation slipping and kinking behaviour dominate uniform plastic deformation. First, the dislocations are primarily confined within dislocation channels due to coplanar slip, and the evolution of them in dynamic compressive deformation process has undergone spacing refinement and crossing. Furthermore, the kinking behaviour induced by the lattice rotation with the T = <011> axis denotes the work hardening effect. Particularly, the second kinking behaviour effectively relieves local stress concentration and delays fracture before the formation of adiabatic shear band (ASB).

Simultaneous enhancement of strength and ductility of Al matrix composites enabled by submicron-sized high-entropy alloy phases

Our study investigated the reinforcing effect of submicron-sized (100–500 nm) Al0.5CoCrCuFeNi high-entropy alloy particles (HEAps) on the tensile properties of Al matrix composites. The HEAps were refined to the submicron-sized level via a thermal plasma process to maximize reinforcing efficiency by increasing specific surface (i.e., interface) area. The Al/HEA composites were produced by hot rolling of mechanically milled Al/HEA composite powder. The microstructural analysis demonstrated that the HEAps were uniformly dispersed within the Al matrix by forming a sound interface without interdiffusion brittle intermetallic layers or any noticeable voids. Moreover, the addition of 2 vol% HEAps resulted in a simultaneous increase in both yield strength from 355 to 403 MPa and tensile elongation from 1.3 to 3.3%. As a result, the composite experienced a synergistic effect due to the combination of intrinsic strengthening to promote uniform plastic deformation and extrinsic strengthening to mitigate plastic instability and crack propagation.

Enhanced energy absorption and low anisotropy of additively manufactured porous Ti-6Al-4V alloy with disordered trapezo-rhombic dodecahedron structures

Additive manufacturing (AM) enables the fabrication of porous metals possessing outstanding characteristics for lightweight structural applications and energy absorption. The mechanical properties of porous metals are influenced by factors such as porosity, cell shape, cell size, and loading direction. This study explores porous Ti-6Al-4V samples with both ordered and disordered cellular structures, manufactured via the laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) process. We systematically investigate their anisotropic compression behavior under varying degrees of regularity. Results indicate that samples with ordered cellular structures demonstrate higher compressive strength under z-axis compression but are susceptible to shear band formation under x- and y-axis compression, significantly reducing strength. As regularity decreases, shear bands diminish, leading to more uniform plastic deformation across all directions. Notably, at a regularity coefficient R = 0.8, the samples exhibit optimal mechanical performance, including the highest plastic collapse strength and energy absorption capacity. Decreasing regularity also reduces the anisotropy of the porous structures, with the lowest anisotropy observed at R = 0.4; however, the optimal overall mechanical performance is achieved at R = 0.8. Adjusting the porous structure regularity is key to achieving isotropy and optimizing mechanical properties, offering significant advantages for practical applications in lightweight structures and energy absorption.

Effect of plastic deformability and fracture behaviour on interfacial toughening mechanism at Fe/Ni interfaces

Fracture at interface causes plastic deformation in the vicinity region. Conventional plastic energy dissipation theory indicates that ductile vicinity toughens the interface by absorbing plastic deformation energy. However, the microstructure in the vicinity directly affects local plastic deformability and fracture behaviour, implying a more complicated toughening mechanism. In this study, the effect of microstructure and hardness on fracture behaviour of Fe/Ni interface was investigated. By experimental approach, interfaces with and without dynamic recrystallization (DRX) were fabricated by controlling the bonding conditions. It showed that compression-induced plastic deformation is the main source of the hardening behaviour in the vicinity. Moreover, the interfaces with hardened DRX vicinities exhibited improved fracture toughness, which is inconsistent with the plastic energy dissipation theory. To clarify this observation, the crystal plasticity finite element method (CPFEM) approach was employed to distinguish the effects of plastic deformation and interfacial microstructure. The result showed that although higher plastic deformability in the vicinity absorbs more dissipated plastic energy, severe stress concentration at the interface leads to early fracture and poor toughness. On the other hand, the interfacial hardened DRXed grains disperse interfacial stress distribution and provide potential sub-crack sites. A combined result of uniform plastic deformation and fracture energy dissipation is responsible for the improved toughness at interfaces with DRXed grains.

Hierarchical nanolayered structures-enabled record-high fracture resistant zircaloy

As a widely used nuclear structural material, zirconium (Zr) alloys are susceptible to brittle hydride-induced cracking. The intrinsic inability to arrest this cracking tendency in Zr poses a significant threat to the service safety of Zr cladding tubes. Here, we propose a microstructural design strategy, by introducing a hierarchical nanolayered duplex-phase structure in the Zr-2.5Nb alloy, to effectively inhibit the propagation of cracks. An unprecedented fracture toughness of KJIc ∼ 165 MPa·m1/2, corresponding to JIc ∼ 256 kJ/m2, is achieved due to the uniform and dense plastic deformation that develops ahead of the crack tip, which is uncharacteristic of Zr-based materials. Our analysis reveals that the effective crack tip blunting occurs because the high density of multiply oriented α/β interfaces in the hierarchical Zr-2.5Nb alloy stimulates ample <c+a> dislocations and facilitates deformation twin nucleation, both of which are challenging to activate in conventional Zr-based materials at room temperature. The exceptional fracture toughness enabled by the hierarchical nanolayered structure provides a new pathway to designing damage-tolerant hexagonal metals for safety-critical applications.

Strength and Plasticity Synergistic Enhancement Mechanism for AZ31B Magnesium Alloy Using Electrically Assisted Electromagnetic Forming

Few independent slip system causes poor formability of magnetic alloys at room temperature. Electromagnetic forming (EMF) is a high‐rate forming method, which improves formability of magnetic alloy. However, conventional EMF weakens energy utilization, and reduces strength and plasticity of formed parts. In this work, a novel electrical assisted electromagnetic forming (EAEMF) is proposed to improve energy utiization and properties of AZ31B alloy. nergy utilization of EAEMF is 100% higher than that of EMF under same height limit, which is due to the greater temperature and electromagnetic force acting on the sheet during EAEMF. Moreover, average tensile strength, yield strength, and elongation of the EAEMF specimen are 7.5%, 6.7%, and 50% higher than those of the EMF‐produced sample, respectively. This is because EAEMF promotes grain refinement, induces more twins and dislocations, which is beneficial for enhancing strength and plasticity. Particularly, twin density of EAEMF sample increased by 70%, grain size decreased by 26.6% owing to dynamic recrystallization. In addition, EAEMF weakened basal texture, increased deformation region and more uniform plastic deformation, provided more interfaces to accommodate disocations, which ensured the increase of plasticity. Therefore, this study proves the feasibility and superiority of EAEMF, providing new prospect for improving property of magnesium alloy parts.

High Performance Mg Alloy with Designed Microstructure and Phases.

A high strength and ductile Mg-Gd-Y-Zn-Zr alloy was designed and fabricated. The local strain evolution of the alloys during plastic deformation was analyzed using high-resolution digital image correlation (DIC). The results showed that the β particles, nano-sized γ' phases, and LPSO phases were distributed in the as-extruded alloy and a bimodal microstructure was exhibited, including elongated un-dynamic recrystallized grains and fine dynamic recrystallized grains. With increasing extrusion ratio, the grain size remained, with the volume fraction of dynamic recrystallization of the as-extruded alloy increasing from 30% to 75%, and the as-extruded alloy exhibited a high strength-ductility synergy, which is attributed to the grain refinement, extensive β particles, and elongated block-shaped LPSO phases. The strain evolution analysis showed that a strain-transfer from un-DRXed regions to adjacent DRXed regions and LPSO phases can promote uniform plastic deformation, which tends to improve the ductility of the alloy.

Synergistic grain boundary engineering for achieving strength-ductility balance in ultrafine-grained high-Cr-bearing multicomponent alloys

Precipitation strengthening is a crucial strategy for ensuring the overall performance of conventional and multicomponent alloys to meet industrial demands. However, the mechanical properties of high-Cr-bearing alloys are often compromised by brittle Cr-rich precipitates at grain boundaries (GBs), leading to severe embrittlement. In this work, a multi-step thermomechanical process is employed to regulate discontinuous dynamic recrystallization (DDRX) and static recrystallization, achieving an ultrafine-grained microstructure. This optimized approach simultaneously impedes the continuous precipitation of the ordered L12 nanocrystals within the matrix and actively encourages the synergistic discontinuous precipitations of submicron L12 and Cr-rich σ particles at GBs, thereby enhancing (yield) strength and high-temperature thermal stability. The ultrafine grains facilitate uniform plastic deformation, characterized by pronounced parallel dislocation slip and stacking faults (SFs) within face-centered cubic (fcc) grains, while second-direction slips, SFs, and Lomer-Cottrell (L-C) lock networks near GB precipitates greatly alleviate stress concentration. Critically, the submicron L12 particles enveloping σ precipitates at GBs also display plastic deformation via mechanical twinning and dislocations, effectively impeding rapid crack propagation along GBs. This research not only provides new insights into the ductility-strength balance in advanced alloys but also proposes a compelling route for optimizing biphasic precipitation, expanding the applicability of high-Cr multicomponent alloys.

Study of the mechanism of the strength-ductility synergy of α-Ti at cryogenic temperature via experiment and atomistic simulation

Alpha titanium (α-Ti) is a promising material for making high-performance components for applications in aerospace, marine, energy and healthcare fields. The excellent strength-ductility synergy has been observed for α-Ti at cryogenic temperature. Twinning is generally considered a key mechanism of outstanding cryogenic ductility. The dislocation-grain boundaries (GBs) interaction and void nucleation usually play crucial roles in the plastic deformation of polycrystalline materials, but their effects on the cryogenic ductility of α-Ti are rarely considered. To eliminate this confusion and gain an in-depth insight into the mechanism of the cryogenic strength-ductility synergy of α-Ti, in this work, a series of characterization experiments and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were designed and carried out. 1) From uniaxial tension tests of the coarse-grained α-Ti sheets at the temperature from 25 to -180 °C, the uniform elongation and post-necking elongation were increased by 92 % and 20 %, respectively. The material maintained a larger strain hardening rate within a greater range of strain at cryogenic temperature compared with room temperature. 2) Via microstructure and fractography observations and the analysis of slip and geometrically necessary dislocation (GND) activities, the uniform plastic deformation was mainly accomplished by prismatic slip, whether at room temperature or at cryogenic temperature. The significantly increased uniform elongation is mainly attributed to the more uniform distribution of GND pile-ups at cryogenic temperature. 3) The MD simulations revealed that cryogenic temperatures made the GBs present a stronger barrier effect on dislocation transmission compared with that at room temperature, contributing to the more uniform distribution of GNDs and lower densities of GND pile-ups. The GBs at cryogenic temperature show a greater ability to resist void nucleation due to the decreased accumulation rate of excess potential energy and increased energy required to void nucleation. The larger strains were thus required to increase the densities of GND pile-ups to induce large stress concentrations for driving void nucleation. This made the uniform elongation of α-Ti increase significantly at cryogenic temperature. This study revealed that the enhanced barrier effect of GBs on dislocation transmission and the improved ability of GBs to resist void nucleation are key mechanisms besides twinning governing the cryogenic strength-ductility synergy of α-Ti. The understanding developed in this work can be useful for the development of new high-performance materials and the precise forming of complex components with high quality.

Residual stress and subsurface damage in sapphire ultra-precision grinding

This study conducted experiments on ultra-precision grinding of sapphire using various strategies. It evaluated surface and subsurface characteristics across multiple dimensions, including morphology, scale, mechanical properties, residual stresses, lattice distortions, in-service properties, and chemical components. The research aimed to explore the intrinsic relationship between these behaviours. The findings revealed that both semi-finish grinding and ultra-precision grinding achieved ductile and low-roughness surfaces, with surface hardness enhancement near the grinding surface. Additionally, Raman spectra wave shifts were able to distinguish residual stresses at different grinding strategies, with larger stresses observed in ultra-precision grinding compared to semi-finish grinding and rough grinding. Furthermore, dense etching dislocation pits were observed on the ultra-precision grinding surface, responding to the scale of residual stress. The presence of larger subsurface cracks in semi-finish grinding and rough grinding was found to contribute to the release of residual stress. Moreover, ultra-precision grinding significantly reduced subsurface damage compared to rough grinding, with a reduction from 23.8 μm to 4.3 μm. Photothermal absorption during rough grinding was noted to be over 10 times higher than in ultra-precision grinding. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis revealed that subsurface damage included microcrack-induced line defects and uniform plastic deformation areas. This damage involved lattice aberrations, dislocations, stacking faults, and thin amorphous layers. The hardness and modulus of the subsurface damage layer were observed to decrease. Additionally, Raman spectra wave shifts were able to distinguish the subsurface damage layer in ultra-precision grinding. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analysis showed no change in the chemical components of the subsurface damage layer. Furthermore, a model was proposed to evaluate subsurface damage based on residual stress, and the mechanism of residual stress inducing damage in ultra-precision grinding was further analysed.

Investigation of the ageing-induced R-phase and its impact on static/cyclic tensile failure in Ni50.9Ti49.1 wire

The trade-off between the safety and effectiveness of NiTi wire in practical applications has consistently hindered its advancement. This underscores the significance of adjusting its microstructure via appropriate heat-treatment techniques. This study systematically investigates the evolution of the constitution phases of the matrix and the grain size as the aging time increases from 3 min to 3 h at 550 °C for Ni50.9Ti49.1 wire, and highlights the significant role of the R phase in static/cyclic tensile failure behavior. When aged for 30 min, the matrix consists mainly of the B2 phase, similar to the as-received wire, while it tends to transform into the R phase during loading (intermediate-R phase). In contrast, aging for 3 h leads to the formation of the R phase as the matrix phase (matrix-R phase). The two types of R phase are discussed and compared in detail with regard to their contribution to the static/cyclic tensile failure behaviour. The longest fatigue life was obtained in wires with the R phase as the matrix phase, which was due to the combined effect: (i) the rapid attainment of a stable state so as to minimise the extent of phase transformation; (ii) coordination deformation of twin and dislocation to alleviate stress concentration; (iii) and the strong bonding between Ti2Ni and the matrix that reduces the occurrence of the “stretching into the hole-coalescence-microcrack process”. The enhanced flexibility observed in the wire with matrix-R phase is due to its reduced elastic modulus and lower transformation plateau. The increase in plasticity is linked to changes in the wire's fracture behavior resulting from grain growth. Such microstructural changes allow the alloy wire to exhibit a more uniform plastic deformation under stress, which in turn postpones the onset of significant fracturing.

Effects of heat treatment cooling methods on precipitated phase and mechanical properties of CoCrFeMnNi–Mo5C0.5 high entropy alloy

C and Mo in the form of solid solution atom or compound phase is distributed in CoCrFeMnNi high entropy alloy (HEA), which have the effects of solution strengthening or second phase strengthening. CoCrFeMnNi–Mo5C0.5 HEA were prepared by adding C and Mo elements to CoCrFeMnNi HEA, and then which heat treatment were carried out by furnace-cooling, air-cooling and water-cooling respectively. the microstructure and phase composition of as-cast or heat treated CoCrFeMnNi–Mo5C0.5 HEA were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), the mechanical properties of as-cast or heat treated CoCrFeMnNi–Mo5C0.5 HEA were tested by the tensile test and hardness test, and the effects of heat treatment cooling methods on precipitated second phase and mechanical properties of CoCrFeMnNi–Mo5C0.5 HEA were investigated. The results show that precipitated second phase in CoCrFeMnNi–Mo5C0.5 HEA is MC phase, which is rich in Mo, Cr and C elements. With change of heat treatment cooling methods from furnace-cooling, air-cooling to water-cooling respectively, heat treatment cooling rate is increased. With increase of heat treatment cooling rate, the amount and size of precipitated second phase are all decreases, and the position of second phase precipitation changes from grain boundaries to intragranular. The tensile strength and elongation of heat treatment water-cooled CoCrFeMnNi–Mo5C0.5 HEA are 739 MPa and 41% respectively, which are realizes the simultaneous increased of strength and plasticity. With increase of heat treatment cooling rate, the hardness of CoCrFeMnNi–Mo5C0.5 HEA decreases, the uniform plastic deformation and the elongation are all increases, and the plasticity increase. The fractures of as-cast, heat treatment furnace-cooled, air-cooled and water-cooled CoCrFeMnNi–Mo5C0.5 HEA are all brittle fracture with cleavage characteristics, and the plastic deformation occurs mainly in the uniform plastic deformation stage. The fracture mode of as-cast CoCrFeMnNi–Mo5C0.5 HEA is intergranular fracture, the fracture mode of heat treatment furnace-cooled, air-cooled and water-cooled CoCrFeMnNi–Mo5C0.5 HEA are all transgranular fracture.

General Entropy Approach Toward Ultratough Sustainable Plastics.

Entropy is a universal concept across the physics of mixtures. While the role of entropy in other multicomponent materials has been appreciated, its effects in polymers and plastics have not. In this work, it is demonstrated that the seemingly small mixing entropy contributes to the miscibility and performance of polymer alloys. Experimental and modeling studies on over 30 polymer pairs reveal a strong correlation between entropy, morphology, and mechanical properties, while elucidating the mechanism behind: in polymer blends with weak interactions, entropy leads to homogeneously dispersed nanosized domains stabilized by highly entangled chains. This unique microstructure promotes uniform plastic deformation at the interface, thus improving the toughness of conventional brittle polymers by 1-2 orders of magnitude without sacrificing other properties, analogous to high-entropy metallic alloys. The proposed strategy also applies to ternary polymer systems and copolymers, offering a new pathway toward the development of sustainable polymers.

Atomic-scale observation of nucleation- and growth-controlled deformation twinning in body-centered cubic nanocrystals

Twinning is an essential mode of plastic deformation for achieving superior strength and ductility in metallic nanostructures. It has been generally believed that twinning-induced plasticity in body-centered cubic (BCC) metals is controlled by twin nucleation, but facilitated by rapid twin growth once the nucleation energy barrier is overcome. By performing in situ atomic-scale transmission electron microscopy straining experiments and atomistic simulations, we find that deformation twinning in BCC Ta nanocrystals larger than 15 nm in diameter proceeds by reluctant twin growth, resulting from slow advancement of twinning partials along the boundaries of finite-sized twin structures. In contrast, reluctant twin growth can be obviated by reducing the nanocrystal diameter to below 15 nm. As a result, the nucleated twin structure penetrates quickly through the cross section of nanocrystals, enabling fast twin growth via facile migration of twin boundaries leading to large uniform plastic deformation. The present work reveals a size-dependent transition in the nucleation- and growth-controlled twinning mechanism in BCC metals, and provides insights for exploiting twinning-induced plasticity and breaking strength-ductility limits in nanostructured BCC metals.

Effect of Gradient Nanotwins on Mechanical Properties of Ni–Co Alloy

Gradient nanostructured metals have become one of the research hotspots in the field of materials science due to their excellent mechanical properties and unique deformation behavior. In our contributions, the nanotwin gradient was introduced into the nanocrystalline Ni–Co alloy, and the influence of the gradient structure on the shear properties and microscopic deformation behavior was studied in order to reveal the strengthening mechanism. The gradient nanotwin Ni–Co alloy has elastic deformation and work hardening at the initial shear stage. The stress decreases after reaching the stress limit, and the uniform plastic deformation is maintained at the later stage. The excellent stability of fine twin layer and its effective hindrance to dislocation nucleation and movement can improve the strength of the material. In addition, the yield and work hardening of nanotwin gradient Ni–Co alloy are easy to occur at low temperature, and the stress–strain curve fluctuates obviously. At high temperature, the alloy is prone to plastic deformation, and the strength is reduced macroscopically. The higher the temperature is, the more difficult it is to yield. The results provide a solid theoretical basis for the design of Ni‐based alloys.

The Mechanism of Deformation Compatibility of TA2/Q345 Laminated Metal in Dynamic Testing with Split-Hopkinson Pressure Bar.

The laminated metal materials are widely used in military, automobile and aerospace industries, but their dynamic response mechanical behavior needs to be further clarified, especially for materials with joint interface paralleling to the loading direction. The mechanical properties of TA2/Q345 (Titanium/Steel) laminated metal of this structure were studied by using the split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB). To shed light on the stress-state of a laminated metal with parallel structure, the relative non-uniformity of internal stress R(t) was analyzed. The mechanism of deformation compatibility of welding interface was discussed in detail. The current experiments demonstrate that in the strain rate range of 931-2250 s-1, the discrepancies of the internal stress in specimens are less than 5%, so the stress-state equilibrium hypothesis is satisfied during the effective loading time. Therefore, it is reasonable to believe that all stress-strain responses of the material are valid and reliable. Furthermore, the four deformation stages, i.e., the elastic stage, the plastic modulus compatible deformation stage, uniform plastic deformation stage and non-uniform plastic deformation stage, of the laminated metal with parallel structure were firstly proposed under the modulating action of the welding interface. The deformation stages are helpful for better utilization of laminated materials.

Numerical and experimental investigation of pressure-controlled joule-heat forge welding of steel tubes

Joining metallic tubes without melting is an enroute to impermeable and high-strength joints for lightweight and transport applications. Friction-based joining processes avoid melting and solidification defects, although the generated metallurgical bonding remains critical due to the uncontrolled differential interface heating and plastic deformation. Pressure-controlled joule-heat forge welding obtains a joint in a solid state with uniform plastic deformation of faying interfaces. A short-duration high-current pulse is discharged across the metallic tube assembly under the electrically conducting copper-steel plates. A high-pressure contact and thermal softening allow a radially outward metal plastic flow with the expulsion of oxide films. The joint evolution is further controlled with the pushing rate to a set distance. This study marks the novel effort to examine the thin-walled steel tubes joining with an integrated experimental and numerical approach. The computational analysis based on the finite element approach reveals the time instants of the interfacial contact pressure, thermal softening, and plastic flow behavior for the joint formation. The welded and upset-out region indicates uniform recrystallization of radially aligned grains with a consistent microhardness distribution. The actual welded geometry dimensions matched fairly well with the calculated dimensions.