Inter- and intra-agglomerate fracture in nanocrystalline nickel

Electrostatic Assembly Preparation of High-Toughness Zirconium Diboride-Based Ceramic Composites with Enhanced Thermal Shock Resistance Performance

The central problem of using ceramic as a structural material is its brittleness, which associated with rigid covalent or ionic bonds. Whiskers or fibers of strong ceramics such as silicon carbide (SiC) or silicon nitride (Si3N4) are widely embedded in a ceramic matrix to improve the strength and toughness. The incorporation of these insulating fillers can impede the thermal flow in ceramic matrix, thus decrease its thermal shock resistance that is required in some practical applications. Here we demonstrate that the toughness and thermal shock resistance of zirconium diboride (ZrB2)/SiC composites can be improved simultaneously by introducing graphene into composites via electrostatic assembly and subsequent sintering treatment. The incorporated graphene creates weak interfaces of grain boundaries (GBs) and optimal thermal conductance paths inside composites. In comparison to pristine ZrB2-SiC composites, the toughness of (2.0%) ZrB2-SiC/graphene composites exhibited a 61% increasing (from 4.3 to 6.93 MPa·m(1/2)) after spark plasma sintering (SPS); the retained strength after thermal shock increased as high as 74.8% at 400 °C and 304.4% at 500 °C. Present work presents an important guideline for producing high-toughness ceramic-based composites with enhanced thermal shock properties.

Nonlinear effect of elastic vortexlike motion on the dynamic stress state of solids

We present a theoretical analysis of the dynamic stress-strain state of regions in a solid body that are involved in a collective elastic vortexlike motion. It is shown that the initiation of elastic vortexlike motion in the material is accompanied by the appearance of dilatancy and equivalent strain, the magnitudes of which are proportional to the square of the ratio of linear velocity on the periphery of the elastic vortex to the velocity of longitudinal elastic waves (P wave). Under conditions of dynamic loading the described dynamic effects are able to initiate inelastic deformation or destruction of the material at loading speeds of a few percent of the P-wave speed. The obtained analytical estimates suggest that dynamic nonlinear strains can make a significant contribution in a number of widely studied nonlinear dynamic phenomena in solids. Among them are the effect of acoustic (dynamic) dilatancy in solids and granular media, which leads to the generation of longitudinal elastic waves by transverse waves [V. Tournat et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 085502 (2004)10.1103/PhysRevLett.92.085502] and the formation of an array of intense "hot spots" (reminiscent of shear-induced hydrodynamic instabilities in fluids) in adiabatic shear bands [P. R. Guduru et al., Phys. Rev. E 64, 036128 (2001)10.1103/PhysRevE.64.036128].

Uncommon deformation mechanisms during fatigue-crack propagation in nanocrystalline alloys

The irreversible damage at cracks during the fatigue of crystalline solids is well known. Here we report on in situ high-energy x-ray evidence of reversible fatigue behavior in a nanocrystalline NiFe alloy both in the plastic zone and around the crack tip. In the plastic zone, the deformation is fully recoverable as the crack propagates, and the plastic deformation invokes reversible interactions of dislocation and twinning in the nanograins. But around the crack tip lies a regime with reversible grain lattice reorientation promoted by a change of local stress state. These observations suggest unprecedented fatigue deformation mechanisms in nanostructured systems that are not addressed theoretically.

Structure modulation driven by cyclic deformation in nanocrystalline NiFe

Theoretical modeling suggests that the grain size remains unchanged during fatigue crack growth in nanocrystalline metals. Here we demonstrate that a modulated structure is generated in a nanocrystalline Ni-Fe alloy under cyclic deformation. Substantial grain coarsening and loss of growth twins are observed in the path of fatigue cracks, while the grains away from the cracks remain largely unaffected. Statistical analyses suggest that the grain coarsening is realized through the grain lattice rotation and coalescence and the loss of growth twins may be related to the detwinning process near crack tip.