Eric M. Taleff

Enhanced ductility in coarse-grained Al-Mg alloys

Enhanced ductilities,i.e., values of tensile ductility exceeding those normally expected in metallic alloys, have been observed at warm temperatures in coarse-grained Al-Mg alloys which exhibit viscous-glide controlled creep. Numerous tests have been conducted in order to quantify this phe-nomenon over wide ranges of temperature and magnesium concentration. The contributions of strain-rate sensitivity and strain hardening have been analyzed in relation to the observed tensile ductilities. It is shown that an analysis based only on flow instability in tension cannot be used to predict failure in a unique manner.

Influence of grain size, solute atoms and second-phase particles on creep behavior of polycrystalline solids

Abstract Diffusion-controlled-creep processes are used to assess the creep behavior of dispersion and solute hardened materials at coarse and fine grain sizes. It is shown that the creep behavior of a dispersion strengthened (DS) Al–Mg alloy is similar to the creep behavior of pure Al–Mg alloys. Both materials show dislocation climb and dislocation solute-drag contributions to creep. It is shown that the threshold stress for creep for these materials is a function of the mobile dislocation density, of the dislocation velocity and of the concentration of solute atoms in the dislocation core. It is, therefore, appropriate to describe the threshold stress as the threshold strain rate. It is shown that the same value of the diffusion-compensated strain rate for the threshold stress is obtained for slip in DS Al–Mg material as in a fine-grained Al–Mg alloy, where grain-boundary sliding is the principal deformation process. This is evidence that grain boundary sliding is accommodated by dislocation creep.

Pearlite in ultrahigh carbon steels: Heat treatments and mechanical properties

Two ultrahigh carbon steel (UHCS) alloys containing 1.5 and 1.8 wt pct carbon, respectively, were studied. These materials were processed into fully spheroidized microstructures and were then given heat treatments to form pearlite. The mechanical properties of the heat-treated materials were evaluated by tension tests at room temperature. Use of the hypereutectoid austenite-cementite to pearlite transformation enabled achievement of pearlitic microstructures with various interlamellar spacings. The yield strengths of the pearlitic steels are found to correlate with a predictive relation based on interlamellar spacing and pearlite colony size. Decreasing the pearlite interlamellar spacing increases the yield strength and the ultimate strength and decreases the tensile ductility. It is shown that solid solution alloying strongly influences the strength of pearlitic steels.

Microstructure-property relationships in pearlitic eutectoid and hypereutectoid carbon steels

Fully pearlitic steels are of great importance in a number of extremely demanding structural applications, in large part because of their combination of strength and toughness. Strength and toughness are controlled by the microstructures developed in pearlitic steels, especially interlamellar spacing, pearlite colony size, and prior austenite grain size. This article reviews the effects of these microstructural features on the yield strength and toughness of fully pearlitic steels, the importance of hypereutectoid alloy compositions for increasing the strength of fully pearlitic steels.

Processing, structure, and properties of a rolled, ultrahigh-carbon steel plate exhibiting a damask pattern

Abstract A plate of ultrahigh-carbon steel (UHCS) was processed by hot and warm rolling, according to the Wadsworth–Sherby mechanism, to produce damask surface markings. The surface markings produced by this industrial processing method are similar to those of historical Damascus steels, which are also of hypereutectoid composition. The microstructure of the UHCS with damask contains fine, spheroidized carbides and a discontinuous network of proeutectoid carbides along former-austenite grain boundaries, which give rise to a surface pattern visible with the unaided eye. Tensile tests at room temperature measured tensile strengths and ductilities, which depend on sample orientation relative to the rolling direction of the plate. Hot and warm rolling causes a directional microstructure, giving rise to both an elongated, directional damask pattern and a directional dependence for strength and ductility. A maximum tensile ductility of 10.2% was measured at 45° relative to the rolling direction. The plate material was subjected to heat treatments creating pearlitic and martensitic microstructures, which retain visible damask patterns.

High-strain-rate superplasticity in ultrahigh-carbon steel containing 10 wt.% Al (UHCS-10Al)

The present study represents a new processing route by which high-strain-rate superplasticity can be obtained in a two-phase, Fe-base alloy. For this study, an ultrahigh-carbon steel containing 10 wt.% Al (UHCS-10Al) was processed by a powder-metallurgy technique. Mechanical attrition was used to introduce a large degree of cold work into pre-alloyed powders, creating the very fine microstructural features necessary for high-strain-rate superplasticity. Because this material contains two phases, {alpha}-Fe and {kappa}-carbide (Fe{sub 3}AlC{sub x} where x = 0.5 to 1), in the range of processing temperatures, a fine grain size was produced upon consolidation and retained during deformation. It is this fine grain size which is responsible for the high-strain-rate superplastic behavior observed.

Superplastic behavior of a fine-grained Mg-9Li material at low homologous temperature

The United States Office of Naval Research provided financial support for this program under Contract No. N-00014-91-J-1197.

Deformation and Failure of a Superplastic AA5083 Aluminum Material with a Cu Addition

A modified AA5083 aluminum sheet material containing a Cu addition of 0.61 wt pct has been investigated under conditions relevant to commercial hot-forming technologies. This material was produced by continuous casting followed by industrial hot and cold rolling into sheet. Deformation and failure mechanisms at elevated temperatures were investigated through mechanical testing, thermal analysis, and microscopy. The effects of Cu addition are evaluated by comparisons with data from AA5083 sheet materials without Cu addition, produced both by continuous and direct-chill (DC) casting techniques. At low temperatures and fast strain rates, for which solute-drag (SD) creep governs deformation, the Cu addition slightly increases tensile ductility at 450 °C but does not otherwise alter deformation behaviors. At high temperatures and slow strain rates, for which grainboundary-sliding (GBS) creep governs deformation, the Cu addition decreases flow stress and, at 450 °C, improves tensile ductility. A strong temperature dependence for tensile ductility results from the Cu addition; tensile ductility at 500 °C is notably reduced from that at 450 °C. The Cu addition creates platelike particles at grain boundaries, which produce incipient melting and the observed mechanical behavior.

High-temperature deformation of Al2O3/Y-TZP particulate composites

Abstract Al 2 O 3 /Y-TZP particulate composites with compositions of between 20 and 80 vol.% Y-TZP were produced by tapecasting, lamination, and sintering. The processing methods employed resulted in fine grain sizes with only small variations between the composites produced. The resulting particulate composites were tested in compression at a temperature of 1350 °C over strain rates from 10 −5 to 3.16×10 −4 s −1 . Microstructural changes during testing were minor. Stress exponents were measured to the range from approximately two to three, which are consistent with published data on similar materials from tensile experiments. Models of composite creep behavior are compared to the experimental data over the full range of compositions studied. A constrained isostrain model is found to provide better predictive capabilities than either an unconstrained model, an isostress model, or a rheological model. Furthermore, the constrained isostrain model provides the most reasonable predictions for creep rates of 100% Al 2 O 3 and 100% Y-TZP materials.

Forming limit diagrams for AA5083 under SPF and QPF conditions

Forming Limit Diagrams (FLD’s) for AA5083 aluminum sheet were established under both Superplastic Forming (SPF) and Quick Plastic Forming (QPF) conditions. SPF conditions consisted of a strain rate of 0.0001/s at 500°C, while QPF conditions consisted of a strain rate of 0.01/s at 450°C. The forming limit diagrams were generated using uniaxial tension, biaxial bulge, and plane strain bulge testing. Forming limits were defined using two criteria: (1) macroscopic fracture and (2) greater than 2% cavitation. Very little difference was observed between the plane strain limits in the SPF and QPF conditions indicating comparable formability between the two processes with a commercial grade AA5083 material.