D. Fan

Macrodeformation Twins in Single-Crystal Aluminum.

Deformation twinning in pure aluminum has been considered to be a unique property of nanostructured aluminum. A lingering mystery is whether deformation twinning occurs in coarse-grained or single-crystal aluminum at scales beyond nanotwins. Here, we present the first experimental demonstration of macrodeformation twins in single-crystal aluminum formed under an ultrahigh strain rate (∼10^{6}  s^{-1}) and large shear strain (200%) via dynamic equal channel angular pressing. Large-scale molecular dynamics simulations suggest that the frustration of subsonic dislocation motion leads to transonic deformation twinning. Deformation twinning is rooted in the rate dependences of dislocation motion and twinning, which are coupled, complementary processes during severe plastic deformation under ultrahigh strain rates.

Note: Dynamic strain field mapping with synchrotron X-ray digital image correlation.

We present a dynamic strain field mapping method based on synchrotron X-ray digital image correlation (XDIC). Synchrotron X-ray sources are advantageous for imaging with exceptional spatial and temporal resolutions, and X-ray speckles can be produced either from surface roughness or internal inhomogeneities. Combining speckled X-ray imaging with DIC allows one to map strain fields with high resolutions. Based on experiments on void growth in Al and deformation of a granular material during Kolsky bar/gas gun loading at the Advanced Photon Source beamline 32ID, we demonstrate the feasibility of dynamic XDIC. XDIC is particularly useful for dynamic, in-volume, measurements on opaque materials under high strain-rate, large, deformation.

Transient x-ray diffraction with simultaneous imaging under high strain-rate loading

Real time, in situ, multiframe, diffraction, and imaging measurements on bulk samples under high and ultrahigh strain-rate loading are highly desirable for micro- and mesoscale sciences. We present an experimental demonstration of multiframe transient x-ray diffraction (TXD) along with simultaneous imaging under high strain-rate loading at the Advanced Photon Source beamline 32ID. The feasibility study utilizes high strain-rate Hopkinson bar loading on a Mg alloy. The exposure time in TXD is 2-3 μs, and the frame interval is 26.7-62.5 μs. Various dynamic deformation mechanisms are revealed by TXD, including lattice expansion or compression, crystal plasticity, grain or lattice rotation, and likely grain refinement, as well as considerable anisotropy in deformation. Dynamic strain fields are mapped via x-ray digital image correlation, and are consistent with the diffraction measurements and loading histories.

Shock-induced deformation of nanocrystalline Al: Characterization with orientation mapping and selected area electron diffraction

We investigate shock-induced deformation of columnar nanocrystalline Al with large-scale molecular dynamics simulations and implement orientation mapping (OM) and selected area electron diffraction (SAED) for microstructural analysis. Deformation mechanisms include stacking fault formation, pronounced twinning, dislocation slip, grain boundary (GB) sliding and migration, and lattice or partial grain rotation. GBs and GB triple junctions serve as the nucleation sites for crystal plasticity including twinning and dislocations, due to GB weakening, and stress concentrations. Grains with different orientations exhibit different densities of twins or stacking faults nucleated from GBs. GB migration occurs as a result of differential deformation between two grains across the GB. High strain rates, appropriate grain orientation and GBs contribute to deformation twinning. Upon shock compression, intra-grain dislocation and twinning nucleated from GBs lead to partial grain rotation and the formation of subgrains, ...

Simultaneous, single-pulse, synchrotron x-ray imaging and diffraction under gas gun loading

We develop a mini gas gun system for simultaneous, single-pulse, x-ray diffraction and imaging under high strain-rate loading at the beamline 32-ID of the Advanced Photon Source. In order to increase the reciprocal space covered by a small-area detector, a conventional target chamber is split into two chambers: a narrowed measurement chamber and a relief chamber. The gas gun impact is synchronized with synchrotron x-ray pulses and high-speed cameras. Depending on a cameras capability, multiframe imaging and diffraction can be achieved. The proof-of-principle experiments are performed on single-crystal sapphire. The diffraction spots and images during impact are analyzed to quantify lattice deformation and fracture; fracture is dominated by splitting cracks followed by wing cracks, and diffraction peaks are broadened likely due to mosaic spread. Our results demonstrate the potential of such multiscale measurements for studying high strain-rate phenomena at dynamic extremes.

Note: Phase retrieval method for analyzing single-phase displacement interferometry data

We present a phase retrieval method (PRM) for analyzing single-phase displacement interferometry measurements on rapidly changing velocity histories, including photon Doppler velocimetry (PDV). PRM identifies the peaks and valleys as well as zero-crossing points in a PDV time series, performs normalization and extracts point-by-point phase and thus velocity information. PRM does not require a wide time window as in sliding window Fourier transformation, and thus improves the effective temporal resolution. This method is implemented in analyzing PDV data obtained from gas gun experiments, and validated against simultaneous measurements with velocity interferometer system for any reflector.

A metallography and x-ray tomography study of spall damage in ultrapure Al

We characterize spall damage in shock-recovered ultrapure Al with metallography and x-ray tomography. The measured damage profiles in ultrapure Al induced by planar impact at different shock strengths, can be described with a Gaussian function, and showed dependence on shock strengths. Optical metallography is reasonably accurate for damage profile measurements, and agrees within 10–25% with x-ray tomography. Full tomography analysis showed that void size distributions followed a power law with an exponent of γ = 1.5 ± 2.0, which is likely due to void nucleation and growth, and the exponent is considerably smaller than the predictions from percolation models.

Characteristics of Friedel pairs and diffraction contrast tomography with non-perpendicular rotation axis

The characteristics of Friedel pairs in diffraction contrast tomography (DCT) are studied in the condition that the rotation axis of the sample is not exactly perpendicular to the incident X-ray direction. For the rotation axis approximately aligned along the vertical direction, the Friedel pairs close to the horizontal plane are insensitive to the non-perpendicularity of the rotation axis, and can be used to refine the sample-to-detector distance and X-ray energy, while the Friedel pairs close to the vertical direction are sensitive to the non-perpendicularity of the rotation axis, and can be used to determine the rotation axis orientation. The correct matching proportion of Friedel pairs decreases with increasing non-perpendicularity of the rotation axis. A method of data processing considering rotation axis misalignment is proposed, which significantly increases the correct matching and indexing proportions of the diffraction spots. A pure aluminium polycrystalline sample is investigated using DCT at beamline 4W1A of Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility. Based on the analysis of Friedel pairs, the sample-to-detector distance and X-ray energy are refined to be 8.67 mm and 20.04 keV, respectively. The non-perpendicular angle of the rotation axis is calculated to be 0.10°. With these refined geometric parameters, the matching proportion of the spatial position of diffraction spots is 90.62%. Three-dimensional reconstruction of the sample with 13 grains is realised using the algebraic reconstruction technique. It is demonstrated that the precise correction of the orientation of the sample rotation axis is effective in DCT suffering from rotation axis misalignment, and the higher accuracy in determining the rotation axis is expected to improve the reconstruction precision of grains.